Blog

 Joint Council is pleased to confirm that the Adoption Tax Credit (ATC), which was scheduled to expire in 2010, was extended for one-year (through December 31, 2011). The highlights of the ATC are; The maximum credit was increased from $12,150 to $13,170, The ATC is now retroactive to January 1, 2010. This represents a potential increase of $1,000 for adoptive families. The ATC was made refundable. If a family has no tax liability, the IRS will refund...

It is once again time for my “Exploring Racial Justice” post.  I’ve read the chapter, but have run out of energy for writing the post.  It’s been a long week of sickness, stress at work, and water in the basement.  I’m not asking for pity.  Yesterday, I would have.  But today, I am thankful for my many blessings. I am thankful for a husband that recognized my emotional outbursts...

  In the book, "Disciplines of a Godly Man", the author R. Kent Hughes talks about the change in the personality of suburban architecture. Gone are the days when houses had large front porches where neighbors would gather to spend time together, sharing life’s experiences with each other. Today, the modern house is a castle where we retreat to the values of  individualism, isolation, and privatization. In addition to the architecture, this can also describe our social interactions. Where once we...

Sometimes I forget.  How can I forget? How can I forget something so huge? So BIG? I forget because they are becoming my own. They are becoming part of my heart, forever entwined with mine. And if they are my own, how could they have ever been another’s? I forget the incredibly, mind boggling sacrifice my children’s first mother made. The sacrifice of breaking her own heart to save her children.

 Parenting is not for the faint of heart – no matter how God has called you to be a parent – there is nothing easy about it!!  I have felt since our first adoption, that parenting an adopted child was very different and, for me, much harder.  I question so much more than I did with our biological children.  So when I ran across this book, 20 Things Adoptive Parents Need to Succeed by Sherrie Eldridge, I felt ready for...

Several months ago my 7-year-old daughter invited a friend for a playdate. The little girl had not yet been in our home or spent time with our family. As the “princesses” played, our young “prince” (a terrific 2-year-old with Disney-like charm) tried to get in on the fun. The girls sweetly catered to his whims while he enjoyed the pampering of two older ladies.   Then I heard that heart-stopping question, “Is he your real brother?”   My daughter...

Everyone has something that they purchased that they feel was worth every penny. For my wife, it is a particular pair of shoes. For my dad, it is a particular fly rod. For me, it is a lunch from the place I complained about every day I was in school. Let me explain. The school my daughter goes to will allow you, for the cost of the meal, to join your child for lunch. My daughter asked me for several weeks when...

As Valentines is right around the corner…it got me thinking about LOVE. I love my kids to the core. Every single one of them. But it took me different amounts of time before I fell in love with them. There’s still one I’m courting. Let’s start with my biological kids. I was told before I had my first child that as soon as they set her in my arms…it would be love at first sight. I could not wait for...

Our family has experienced loss in the adoption process, and as such, I’d like to piggy back of Heather’s post. When our precious daughter died 3 months after arriving home from India, in addition to heart wrenching grief, I remember feeling lost. Our dreams are often altered. Sometimes God gives us a gentle nudge in a slightly different direction. Sometime the changes are bigger, our dreams are shattered,...