I look outside and I see snow covering everything. It covers the yard, the sidewalks, the driveway, and the street. It is our reminder that winter has come. Snow had been described as both pure and beautiful, but I sometimes wish there wasn’t so much of it. Thing is,...
Leaves Everywhere
This time of year, leaves flutter everywhere. You rake and rake and rake. It is hard to believe that it wasn’t that long ago that you rejoiced to see the new growth on the trees ushering in spring. Now, sadly, the leaves have fallen. These leaves represent, in so many...
Keeping our Promises
“Promises, promises!” We have all heard this retort when we make a promise to someone after we have failed to carry out what we have previously promised. Why are promises so important? First, promises are a form of commitment. We are asking the other person to believe...
Frustration in Adoption
It was the perfect weekend. Like the calm on a lake on a summer day, we had experienced renewed energy from our fun time together. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, a storm brewed where our adopted children decided to defy us. We felt the frustration from having had our...
Children as Commodity
The first time we laid our eyes on our new sons-to-be, we fell in love with them. We knew that the Lord wanted us to be a family. All the months of effort up to this point had been worth it. However, it came with a cost. From the first time we met with our social...
Struggles with Our Adult Adopted Children
“Pray for [our adopted daughter]. She and I have had some difficult conversations lately that were very disheartening. … So far away spiritually.” So read a text from one of our friends recently. The disconnect between the bond of adoption and the adopted adult’s...
Fun and Games
Of the many games we played with our sons after they were adopted, their favorite was “hide and seek.” They had their preferred places in hide inside our house, including in the bathtub (behind the shower curtain) and in an empty box in our spare bedroom. When we...
Mystery in Adoption
We had barely gotten to our friends’ home after the adoption court hearing when our sons let out a wail. It was if the tension of the adoption had finally released, adding to their uncertainty over their future. In the orphanage, at least they knew what to expect the...