Whenever someone finds out we are foster parents, we typically hear the following responses: “You’re a better person than me.” “I could never do that.” “Wow. You’re amazing!” “The world needs more people like you.” When I respond in ways that challenge those statements, I’m typically presented with lots of myths about foster care. Let […]
“Where there’s a WE, there’s a way.”
I recently heard this statement and decided it’s the best way to describe how I feel about a lot of really important issues: Where there’s a WE, there’s a way. At IF: Gathering 2019, psychiatrist Curt Thompson said this: Our brain is more than happy to do lots of things that are really difficult, as […]
Created for You
Over the weekend, I had the honor of speaking at the Created for You Retreat put on by Northway Christian Community in Pittsburgh. It was such a life-giving experience for me to be able to encourage the foster and adoptive moms gathered there. We first began our foster care journey a little over a decade […]
If you wouldn’t say it about a boob job…
We got some pretty strange looks and heard some ridiculous statements when we were doing foster care. While I could handle most comments, we cared for school-age kids who absolutely felt the pain of those words and the sting of the stares. Working with adopting families here in Nicaragua has reinforced how clueless we can […]
Redeeming Love
As a former foster parent in the U.S., and a current adoption advocate in Nicaragua, caring for children in transition is extremely near and dear to my heart. In the past two years, I’ve encountered three particular stories that helped me understand the life of the child in need — and what they need in […]
Processing Transition
“What is your favorite food?” the teacher asked with methodical dictation. “My… favorite… food… is… uh… manzanas!” replied the young student, copying her teacher’s cadence. “Apples!” reminded the patient, bilingual instructor. I sat reading on the floor below, but was momentarily distracted by the beautiful sounds of freshly-learned English being carried by the morning’s amazingly […]