When we first learned that my mother’s cancer was terminal, beyond the initial shock and sadness, I thought about the impact on my children – particularly my two youngest. Not only would they have such a short time with my mother, but they had also had many other attachments, only to “lose” that person so soon. They had their birth parents, an older biological sibling (now in the care of grandparents), birth grandparents, a birth aunt, and great grandparents. They lived with beloved foster... more

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly (John 10:10)

I grew up living in public housing most of my pre-married life. I was always well fed, well clothed and had neat toys, same as the next kid. The only time I felt any “lack” was when I visited the homes of the kids I went to school with in the Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) program back in the 70’s. Because GATE was “experimental,” the classes were usually offered in schools located in affluent neighborhoods,... more

And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body (Romans 8:23).

In today’s mail, I received a lovely surprise – our daughter’s amended birth certificate! After opening the envelope and seeing the contents, I called my daughter in the room to see it as well. We were both so excited to see my name as her mommy and my husband’s name as her father. She just kept hugging me and kept pointing to the names... more

We've been talking a bit about moving. The kids are pretty excited about it and talk about it, even though we've clearly stressed it's all conjecture at this point. Even though we've looked at a few places, we still have let the kids know we're not sure about taking any steps toward any of the dwellings we've seen.

Even though it appears the kids all view this positively, I am still concerned about uprooting the kids. I take transitions pretty seriously, because I know all three of our kids are pretty sensitive and get attached to things very easily. I also... more

Looking back at the past 11 months with my children, I see such growth and progress. I remember when “Success!” was getting them to sleep at night!

Success now looks very different than it did then. The kids have moved onto bigger challenges. Success now comes in the form of conquering fears time and again.

The last... more

Awhile back, I wrote about the need for Couple Time. This is an area we’ve struggled with because of our son’s medical conditions. However, now that we have three children, we really need to have some quality time together, not just the dregs of whatever is left over after dealing with fast-paced life with three everyday!

This was a hard concept for me to come to. I think part of it had to do... more

You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up (Deuteronomy 6:7).

The Mother/Daughter “Mutual Admiration Society” continues this week! One of the gifts my daughter received at the Mother/Daughter Tea was a little diary. Every day she asks me if I will write something in it “about... more

I thank my God in all my remembrance of you (Philippians 1:3)

In an interesting display of “harmonic convergence”, cable television played both versions of The Parent Trap on two different channels during the same time slot. As I flipped back and forth between them, I noticed both versions had the scene wherein one of the twins meets the grandfather for the first time and begins sniffing him. The grandfather asks what she's doing and the twin replies, “I'm making a memory. Years from now when I'm a grown up, I want to remember that... more

My daughter reminds me of me in so many ways. She's had some behavioral and emotional issues; my ADD was undiagnosed until adulthood. She has very large, expressive eyes – in fact, in pictures, it's the first thing you notice about her. Every picture of me that my mom has shows that same wide-eyed expression on my face.

I remember as a child sitting at my aunt's feet as she did my hair. I have very textured, ethnic hair, and a very tender scalp. My daughter sits at my feet, now, and also has a tender head. We use hair time as bonding time, and talk about various... more

Romans 8:22-24

We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has?(NIV)

As I read this verse, it reminded me of our recent adoption of our 10-year-old foster... more