Trying to wing the toast at my son’s wedding last May was a horrible idea. Once I had the microphone and looked out at that historic, lakefront ballroom full of cherished family and friends, I felt an uncomfortable lump forming in my throat. When I turned to address the bride and groom, the swelling mysteriously... Continue Reading →
I sat poolside in this Mexican resort town and noticed a tingling clearness in my head and my breathing start to slow down and expand. It felt like a watch that had been ticking too fast, suddenly being reset to the correct tempo - an invisible rebooting of my soul. I recently heard the soul... Continue Reading →
She looked breathtaking in her wedding dress. And when her nine bridesmaids danced through the bedroom door to get a first glimpse, many of their eyes filled with tears. They were happy for her and overcome with joy to see their dear friend wearing the gown she'd soon be married in. Hosting the whole wedding... Continue Reading →
As we finally rounded the corner onto our street, the yearning and anticipation I'd felt for the last ten days couldn't be contained for one second longer. In our driveway, I left everything in the car and ran through the deep snow to the front door and flung it open. My little boy had been... Continue Reading →
There's a fine line between joy and despair, laughter and tears, the truth and a lie, life and even death. We should've seen it coming, we already knew we were on very thin ice. Especially after our agency was shut down by the U.S. State Department in December, but still, we had hope. Looking back... Continue Reading →
After I'd kissed and tucked him in bed, he sat up and said very sweetly, "Mom, I don't want to hurt your feelings, but you smell bad at night. I don't know why . . . I don't want to hurt your feelings though." I gargled with mouthwash and put some perfume on. I went... Continue Reading →
She was speaking to a ballroom overflowing with women, but at that moment, it was as if I was the only one there. I saw her final question, "What is God leading YOU to do?" float slowly above me until suddenly, wham, I felt like I was hit over the head. "Adoption." That's what... Continue Reading →
For the dear life of me, I couldn't justify the angry, hateful looks I was getting from the woman a few people ahead of me at the check-out line. Marina and I had been driving by one of our favorite stores and decided to pull in and buy a needed gift. Rina grabbed her... Continue Reading →
I once read that you start saying goodbye to your child the moment you give birth. Trusting another to watch them for an hour, their first crawl and first steps, the first day of pre-school, start of kindergarten, first time sleeping away from home, on and on the goodbyes go. The initial time that my... Continue Reading →
Debbie Prather | 742iloveyou 