As expected, our time at Summit VII has been empowering, encouraging, overwhelming, educational, and exhausting. We are at a large church in Louisville that is home to 25,000 people! One main theme that keeps popping up in the sessions I am attending is “best practice” in international orphan care. Thoughts: We (westerners) do not have...
{#25} HIV
“Minor, correctable special needs.” Most of us would agree that most kids with cleft palate, small holes in the heart, club feet, and other minor, correctable special needs are really not “special needs” at all. Holt International offers a China program specifically for these children that allows families to bring home children home in less...
Orphans on the brain
As I’m running around tying up loose ends before Patrick and I head to Summit VII, I can’t get last night and this morning out of my mind. Last night Mia cried all the way home and probably cried herself to sleep. She wasn’t pouting or tantruming. She was grieving. You see, last night was...
HouseBlogKeeping
I apologize if you receive posts via email. Apparently some bug sent out multiple (18 or more) copies of the same post on Saturday morning. I’m still not sure why so I apologize if it happens again while I test the system. While on the blogkeeping subject, I’ve been wanting to re-tag and categorize my...
{#24} Status Quo
As we enter Mother’s Day season, it seemed like a good time to mention that adoption challenges the status quo. A seemingly simple holiday becomes riddled with questions: Is my birthmother thinking about me? Should we do something to recognize or remember our child’s birthmother? This is particularly worth thinking through if you have an open...
Better late than never
I rented a wide angle lense over Easter (more for Welcoming Angels and this photo shoot than for Easter). I love it because you can really capture the feel of a room. In the above picture it saw the entire table, not just one side. It’s like a slice of life captured on film on...
How to have a successful book club
At least if you’re us. Have a group of friends who are mostly unattached.* *Without kids Train your kids to go to bed around 7:30 on book club nights so book club can start at 8PM. Become reserved to the fact that it will be a late night. It’s totally worth it. Take a nap...
{#23} Celebration
With Ty reaching his 2 year home mark this week, I thought the subject of adoption celebrations would be an appropriate for this week. Adoption celebrations. To do or not to do. That is the question. Actually the bigger question is probably what to call them. While most families do celebrate the arrival of their...