Posts

Showing posts from November, 2012

Where's Mommy?

Image
This year I read a blog post encouraging moms to "get in the picture."  I can't remember now who wrote the posting, but the content stuck with me. We have come back from many a vacation without a single picture of me.  If you viewed most of our family experiences you may come to believe that I didn't exist.  I am always the one behind the camera.  Most times it is because I am more interested in capturing the people I love than actually being in the photograph.  There are also many times when I don't get in the picture because I have poured more of my energy that day into being a mommy than into my appearance.  There have even been photographs that I have deleted just because I didn't like the way that I looked in them.  I wonder if that is what happened to my post baby photographs.  All these years later only a few pictures can be found of myself during those first sweet months of life with a newborn. The writer of this post encouraged moms to let go of t

Thankful

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday.  I have always loved it.  I spent most of my childhood an ocean away from relatives so holidays looked different than the classic american picture.  Our table was usually full of people but the guest did not share in our DNA.  I am thankful for that childhood.  Thankful for parents who demonstrated how to thrive wherever you are planted and how to make family everywhere you go. I have said this before, but this past year has been hard.  Hard in a way that is difficult for me to put into words.  Hard in a way that just saying "this past year" makes a huge lump well up in my throat.  Waiting. Missing. Longing. Crying. Sacrificing. Feeling Crazy.  Feeling not crazy but knowing others think you are crazy.  Disappointment. Surviving. Growing. Getting glimpses of Thriving. Complete Joy.  Indescribable peace in the midst of complete chaos.  Failure. Again  Failure. Grace and Mercy.  Forgiveness.  Love. There have been people in our life who I

our adoption story

Image
Today is National Adoption Day.  A day to focus on adoption and bring awareness to the millions of children who continue to wait for a family.  I have used this blog over the years to share our family's journey with adoption, to educate and provide a look into what it means to be an adoptive family.  You have shed tears of joy and heartache with us along the way.  I thought of many things to say today, but in the end decided maybe the story could best be told in photographs.  The first picture of our family of four + our dog, Missy, was taken when we decided to start pursuing adoption five years ago.  Praying many of you will take a huge leap of faith this year and start an adoption journey of you own.  And if you do, be sure to take us along with you.  Happy National Adoption Day!!!

First Adventure as a Family of 6

Image
We woke up one warm day this fall and decided to take our crew to Harper's Ferry, WV. Just under an hours drive away but you feel like you have escaped from our area. And we were feeling the need to look at some different scenery.  We parked at the visitors center and took the Lower Town Trail down to the water.  We stopped there for awhile to take a break, eat a picnic, watch the kids dig in the sand, collect things and throw rocks in the water.  If you are prepared and the weather allows you can actually go into the water.  This day we just stuck to the edge and if we hadn't urged them on, I am sure the kids would have stayed there all day. The walk continues on following the water and the train tracks and at times takes you onto the median of the road leading into the town.  The kids investigated this dead frog for a very long time.  They wanted to bring him with us for the rest of the journey but Daddy vetoed that idea.   We continued the walk down to the histori

Finding Certainty in Uncertainty

Image
This past week has been rough.  New news daily, hourly.  New questions daily, hourly.  Job, health, relationships.  Uncertainty looms on every hour.  Decisions to be made and actions to be taken.  It can start to swirl and if I am not cautious I will be caught up into a vortex of anxiety, doubt and worry. Then God reminds me to meditate on His Words alone, not the circumstances, not the lies, on His Word alone. He promises that if I do I will be able to walk in obedience and He will provide success, strength, courage, and most importantly His Presence.  And at the same time He will cast out all fear, discouragement, failure and lack of peace (Josh 1:8-9). He promises me that His peace will guard my heart, when instead of sliding down to the pit of anxiety, I instead chose to go to Him in prayer with thanksgiving pouring from my lips.  He promises that when I focus on His Words He will fill my mind with things that are true, lovely, pure, honorable,and right. (Phil 4:6-8).  

Not "Why?" but "Why Not?"

Image
I spent five and a half years caring for people at the end of their life.  I was young and much of what I experienced I didn't fully understand, probably still don't.  But there are so many incredible lessons you can learn from those who are finishing the race.  I listened to many share regrets of not taking advantage of the years that had past.  The plans they had made for someday would now never come. About five years ago we spent an evening celebrating my grandparents wedding anniversary.  One of the guests was the wife of the pastor who had performed the original wedding ceremony. Throughout the evening she carried with her a book, a photo album.  At the end of the evening she shared the picture book with me.  It contained page after page of photographs of people that had accepted Christs's salvation because of her friendship.  Every word that came out of her mouth proclaimed Jesus Christ.  It was like spending time with a living Bible.  She was nearing the end of

Thankful Tree

Image
November, the month to focus on our blessings and express our thanks.  So on November 1 we headed out to the woods to find sticks for our Thanksgiving tree.  Hurricane Sandy left lots of great limbs to choose from, all laying on the floor of the woods behind our house.  We had fun hunting for just the right branches.  There are no pictures of that excursion because there was no camera.  Just the ones I mentally took to save and remember in the years to come. I was very excited that we actually got the tree going on the first day of November and had enough leaves cut out for our first few days.  The kids help to trace, cut and tie.  But we don't do it all in one sitting.  Six family members x 30 days in November = a lot of leaves.  So we work on making more leaves throughout the month.  When we all sit down for dinner in the evening each person choses a leaf, writes their name and what they are thankful for.  Day 1:  All the kids decided they were thankful for Missy, my fi