One of the hobbies that I enjoy is mountain biking. In the glossary of terms there are two words that, when combined, are the epitome of the sport. Those two words are "epic" and "singletrack". Epic is a term used to describe something that is legendary while singletrack refers to a narrow path used to ascend or descend an incline. More oft than naught, singletrack is a trail used by animals as they move between feeding locations, the...
When we were in the early stages of the adoption process and meeting with our social worker for our homestudy, we expressed that we weren’t sure how to talk with our family about all of the questions that surround adoption. We had obviously worked through some of the questions in order to come to our decision to adopt, but we felt ill-equipped to explain the process to our family. So, we asked for advice. Our social worker recommended a book titled Adoption...
Thre are many universal experiences in adoption: a lot of highs with a few lows. A common "low" is the experience of well-intended, but not-so-helpful, unsolicited advice from family and friends. Before I go on, I’ll preface with saying that my family has been uniquely supportive and the hard-to-swallow advice has been minimal. Yet I write because almost every adoptive family I know has experienced the frustration of family members and/or friends suggesting how to parent or how not to parent their...
In the midst of preparing for our annual spring garage sale, I’ve escaped the abyss of clothing, games, and home décor to type this post. I was inspecting, folding, and pricing my children’s outgrown outfits when I came across a small, sauce-stained tee bearing the slogan: “Worth the Wait”. I lovingly touched it and was flooded with memories. Our youngest child wore that little shirt just 8 months ago in Guatemala City. Twenty-two months old...
Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, "This is the way; walk in it." Isaiah 30:21 ...
Our life experiences have so much influence on our thoughts, attitudes, and beliefs. Because of God’s plan for our family, adoption is "normal" for our biological daughter. All of her siblings joined our family by adoption, so I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised at her unquestioning acceptance. However, occasionally, an incident arises that reminds me again, just how "ordinary" adoption is in her mind. Let me share an example . Recently, family members (I’ll call them Bob and Sue) announced that...
I struggle with the term "color blind." I’m not talking about the inability to distinguish between certain colors, but rather, about the assertion that if everyone would just ignore the color of people’s skin, racism would come to an end. I know that this concept has good intentions, but I see a fundamental flaw. By intentionally ignoring part of who a person is, are we sending a negative message? If we decided to be gender blind, what message does that send me about...
I admit that I am a selfish individual. At the end of a long day at work, I sometimes do not want to read to my kids. I want to plop down in my chair in front of the television and just pause for a while. But by doing so, I am missing out. Even though they want me to read the exact same story that we have read every night for the past month, even though they are able to...
After 3 children and a few disappointing miscarriages we started seriously talking about adoption. The specialists were clear – we could likely have more biological children. Our hearts were leaning elsewhere. We dreamed of growing our family in another way. The definite feeling – the time is right feeling– hit my husband first. It was September. He patiently waited for me to jump on board. While we contemplated when and how to start the process, we attended Katelyn’s Fund Support meetings. Surrounded in the...
My husband and I are blessed with children through birth and through adoption. Our older three (ages 9, 6, and 3) love to hear the tales of their births (sans gory details), particularly when their birthdays roll around. When our youngest (now 2) came home from Guatemala, it seemed appropriate to continue this tradition as best we could. Unsure of how or where to start, I hit the books. Not thick parenting texts or adoptive family literature, though...
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