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Comfort.  What does comfort look like to you?  Over the past few days, for me, it looked like rooms full of my extended family who all came home for my grandma’s funeral.  It was very comforting to be around all of my grandma’s children, grandkids and great-grandkids.  I was comforted by their presence and our memories and laughter and hugs and promises to stay connected. Tonight, comfort looks like a mug of hot chamomile tea, steaming beside me as I type....

There are times–sometimes in our own lives; sometimes in others’–that true darkness becomes real, painful, and we encounter depths of tragedy. Our church has two in particular instances of this in precious families’ lives, and as I have been contemplating these situations, I realize that from the deepest darkest nights in our lives to the most glorious moments of praise and gratefulness (and many things in between), the Lord is present in them all…because He experienced them. He knows the...

We are filling out lots of papers and questionaires for our adoption agency.  Our home study has been submitted for approval.  Once approved (we hope!), we can apply for financial assistance, and gather 10 lbs of paperwork that become a dossier, that gets sent overseas to India….and after lots of time, and money, and prayer….we may or may not get approved and matched with the Indian child welfare agency….for the little girl we are dreaming of.  We are asking for...

Parenting is not for the weak in heart, at least effective parenting! I tell my daughter’ birth mother (single parent of 3) that it is her struggles to love, discipline and raise her children well that show she is doing something right. If she did not care about how her children turned out or how they were behaving, parenting could be easy.  She would not need to worry about their hearts, behavior, or their future; she would just...

As I look back over the last two years our youngest daughter has been home, I see how the Lord has answered our prayers and has healed so many of the broken places.  The tiny little girl I first held in my arms was so filled with pain, with uncertainty, and hurt.  So afraid to let me in, to let me love her and oh, so afraid to love me back…. She waged a daily battle.  Pushing me away, then...

Sometimes, I feel swallowed by defeat. I fail on some days…I lose my temper, my patience, my feelings get hurt, I get tired, I can’t understand something, I don’t accomplish what I think I should. The enemy can dance in my head with his deceitful chanting. I take those thoughts captive, but I must admit, not always immediately. I know what it is to doubt. Perhaps that isn’t all bad. Perhaps those times help me get perspective to better help my child. My...

A friend told me a funny story yesterday.   She was with her 4 year old son, and someone mentioned that they saw his dad the other day.  Her son says, “He’s really black.”   Out of the mouths of babes!  He would like to be a little more black like his dad.  His mom is white and he’s a beautiful mocha.   Reminded me of another funny story.   Earlier in the year I ran into a fellow dance mom.  Her daughter is in Summer’s dance class. ...

“Oh, He is so good to involve us in His plans to redeem His children!”           This was a comment left on my blog this week as I journaled through our daughter’s adoption here in Thailand.  It really struck a chord with me—our lives being part of God’s redemptive plan for our children.  The weight of that is incredible but the joy of that is unspeakable!         We attended a church here in Bangkok last Sunday and fittingly enough; the sermon was...

I have been blessed to have been able to receive some extensive training in Texas Christian University’s Trust Based Parenting Intervention®.  I have received so much information and believe heavily in what God is doing through this research and organization.  We adopted our first child through infant adoption, and although we know fully that she has experienced loss and some early trauma, it hasn’t been what I intimately know and see with other children through adoption.  So now, when we...

Are You Ready…   …when God calls? God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!”And Moses said, “Here I am.”Exodus 3:4 → ...