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One Thankful Mom - Lisa Qualls

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

First - Birth Mother

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, […]

For the Love of a First Mom [Birth Mom]

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  Last Friday my son arrived home from school with a friend. He opened the front door, calling out, “Hi, Mom!” Turning to his friend, he added, “Dude, I have two moms. That means I have eight grandparents.” His friend casually replied, “Yeah, I know,” as they dropped their backpacks in the middle of the […]

Tell it Well, Part Four: Redeemed

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 Sometimes you have to ask yourself, “If I could only tell one more story, what would it be?”  Tell it Well is my answer. Part 1: Alone | Part 2: Sought | Part 3: Found | Part 4: Redeemed | Part 5: Bitter Six months after my son’s birth I moved home, where I felt like a foreigner.  Everything had changed, […]

Tell it Well, Part Three: Found

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 Sometimes you have to ask yourself, “If I could only tell one more story, what would it be?”  Tell it Well is my answer. Part 1: Alone | Part 2: Sought | Part 3: Found | Part 4: Redeemed | Part 5: Bitter God didn’t rescue me, instead, He became real to me and His presence became powerful.  I remember clearly the night my […]

Tell it Well, Part Two: Sought

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 Sometimes you have to ask yourself, “If I could only tell one more story, what would it be?”  Tell it Well is my answer. Part 1: Alone | Part 2: Sought | Part 3: Found | Part 4: Redeemed | Part 5: Bitter I prided myself on being strong and self-sufficient.  I could handle things, even if I was only a sophomore in […]

Tell It Well, Part One: Alone

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 Sometimes you have to ask yourself, “If I could only tell one more story, what would it be?”  Tell it Well is my answer. Part 1: Alone | Part 2: Sought | Part 3: Found | Part 4: Redeemed | Part 5: Bitter Not long ago I realized I had published over 970 posts.  The number kept creeping up and soon I was on […]