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One Thankful Mom - Lisa Qualls

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

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First - Birth Mother

Adoption: Recognizing the Loss for All of Us

Adoption: Recognizing the Loss for All of Us

By Lisa Qualls

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, […]

July 24, 2017 16 Comments

For the Love of a First Mom [Birth Mom]

For the Love of a First Mom [Birth Mom]

By Lisa Qualls

  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 […]

June 5, 2017 10 Comments

Tell it Well, Part Four: Redeemed

By Lisa Qualls

 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, […]

January 13, 2012 39 Comments

Tell it Well, Part Three: Found

By Lisa Qualls

 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 […]

January 12, 2012 17 Comments

Tell it Well, Part Two: Sought

By Lisa Qualls

 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 […]

January 11, 2012 11 Comments

Tell It Well, Part One: Alone

By Lisa Qualls

 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 […]

January 10, 2012 23 Comments

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Mentoring adoptive and foster moms with                   practical help and hope.I serve families by providing practical tools and hope through my private membership group, The Hope Circle, as well as parent coaching, marriage mentoring, speaking, and writing. As a mom of 12 by birth and adoption (and more through foster care), wife of 35 years, and a Trust-Based Relational Intervention (TBRI®) Practitioner, I’m honored to walk alongside you as you navigate your family’s unique journey.

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