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One Thankful Mom - Lisa Qualls

Honest reflections on family, adoption, foster care, and faith.

Adoption: Recognizing the Loss for All of Us

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I witnessed something unexpected this weekend – a swirl of pain in a normally safe place. A group devoted to conversations about parenting adopted/foster children with connection, a group teaching and supporting the methods developed by my friend, Dr. Karyn Purvis, became a place of debate, contention, and pain. As I watched the conversation unfold, […]

Serenity, Courage, Wisdom

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God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change Courage to change the things I can And wisdom to know the difference. Amen, amen, and amen. I am in control of very few things, as much as I would like it to be otherwise. Parenting is the perfect opportunity to learn this […]

Four Simple Tips For Family Dinners

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33 years – that’s how many years Russ and I have been sitting down to dinner together. Actually, more if you count the cafeteria at Seattle Pacific University. There were dinners at the group home where we worked the first year of our marriage. Later we dined in our 6th-floor apartment near Pike Place Market, […]

For the First Time in 13 Years

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They carried it through the door of our little brick house. Two heavy pedestals with claw feet, followed by the two halves of the table, which were carefully placed on top. It had two leaves, each 18 inches wide, giving us three feet to extend the length of our table. I envisioned it with children […]

3,336 Miles and We’re Home!

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Three thousand three hundred thirty-six miles – and we’re home. I’ve missed you! I didn’t expect to take such a long break from writing, that’s for sure, but life didn’t go the way I expected the week before we left. Russ was in Kenya and I was supposed to be finishing up the school year […]

On the Road

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Hi friends. Just a quick note from the road to say hello. We made it to Billings last night and thought we would hit the road nice and early this morning, but Russ began getting sick last night. We think he may have brought a parasite home from Kenya. Hopefully he didn’t get malaria. We’re […]

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  • This is my favorite view - powerful, dramatic, constant. Looking out over Puget Sound at the Olympic Mountains never grows old. My old iPhone doesn't do it justice and one of my loves broke my Nikon DSLR, so this will have to do. But if you were sitting here with me this morning, wrapped in a blanket, fingers curled around a mug of strong coffee, and all of our kids were still sleeping - the beauty just might make you cry. #mythankfullife #onethankfulmom #couragedearheart #quallsfam
  • This is what my first morning on the island looks like: coffee, my Bible and journals, books, yellow pads and a good pencil. I'm making grocery lists, lists of forgotten items for Russ to bring next week, a calendar showing when big kids and other family arrive and depart, and a list of all the tasks I hope to accomplish while I'm here. Some are not so fun - foster care relicensing paperwork, others more satisfying - preparing my talk for the Mosaic Retreat. The view is beautiful, the door wide open (even if the air is cool), and the boys are playing on the beach. I am so thankful to be here and truly blessed beyond measure. #onethankfulmom #mythankfullife #fostercare
  • The kids and I left for Whidbey Island this morning. We're on the ferry - almost there. #mythankfullife #whidbeyisland #onethankfulmom
  • Thank you for praying for my dad as he ever so slowly recovers from heart surgery. For unknown reasons, he did not wake up normally after surgery last Tuesday. He is finally speaking in simple sentences and is aware that time has passed since his surgery. He sat in a chair today. We are encouraged and hopeful. I'm thankful my sisters spend hours at the hospital with my parents each day and update me. Call your parents and grandparents. Love your people well. #couragedearheart #onethankfulmom #itiswell
  • I love starting my mornings here in my thrift store chair with coffee and a stack of books. My routine is simple and life giving: Bible (She Reads Truth app is fantastic for reading plans), a few sentences in my One-Line a Day Journal (the only journal I've ever managed to keep), one line in my gratitude journal, prayer, a chapter (or less) in a book for my personal/spiritual growth. Then I organize my day in my planner, all before I turn on my computer. I try not to even look at my phone, other than my Bible app and texts (checking for texts from kids and family), before this is done, otherwise I'm quickly sucked into the vortex of social media, although it happens more often than I care to admit. Our world is so noisy, this little piece of my life is quiet. I'm reminded of who I am and whose I am; my priorities come more clearly into view - love God, love Russ, love my children, my family and friends, love the world. Do what God calls me to do with the gifts and resources he's given me. Live an open-hearted life. This all seems clearer when I start my mornings here. [I share this not because it's the right way to do it, but because there might be something here that speaks to you and is helpful. If so, take it. If not, that's fine. We learn so much from one another when we share our lives.] #openhearted #onethankfulmom #couragedearheart #shereadstruth
  • Family questions, and medical team questions, are ongoing. We don't know why my dad isn't waking from surgery. We can make him wake up, but he doesn't wake on his own. We're praying, waiting, trying not to worry. I'm heading home today, which is hard, but I'm organizing my family and packing for Whidbey Island, which is back near Tacoma where my parents are. Driving now and stopping along the way to check for updates from my sisters. #onethankfulmom #couragedearheart