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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 […]

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  • One of our sweetest surprises ever! Zoe joined our family 2 1/2 years ago. She turned 18 a few days ago. While she may not officially be our foster daughter now, she will always be a daughter of our hearts. We’re so proud of her and excited to see her graduate this June. • #quallsfam #happybirthday #fostercare #onethankfulmom
  • Sixteen yesterday. She was the baby of our family for four years before we gave her four more siblings. Claire brings laughter and joy to our hearts. She’s kind, strong, and has loads of courage. This is going to be a good year. • #sweet16 #quallsfam #onethankfulmom
  • Nineteen years ago we were considering moving here for a job. Russ and I were exploring the area and as we drove past this house I said, “Can you imagine living there?” I had no idea we would buy it just a few months later. • It was a tight fit for many years, with six kids in one bedroom for a time. Eight acres gave us breathing room outside, but that didn’t help too much in the winter. There were also a few things I didn’t love. To my dismay, we still have the blue carpet in the family room I wanted to replace when we bought the house. But not much longer! • We’re working hard to get it ready for a wedding this July. You can imagine how much there is to do after 19 years and 12 kids. • #farmhouse #onethankfulmom #bigfamily #adoption
  • Beautiful slate coasters with the Harvest House logo from my publisher. Just typing the words “my publisher” nearly makes me cry. Dr. Karyn Purvis and I wrote this book over many years and it’s been such a long time coming. I’m thrilled to partner with Harvest House to get this book into the hands of parents who desire a relationship with their children built on trust and connection. • Foster and adoptive parents, I think of you as I write. You are doing powerful, beautiful, hard work. • #fostercare #adoption #connectedparenting #harvesthousepublishers #onethankfulmom
  • You cannot enter into a child’s suffering without suffering in some way too. Trauma is messy and spills over onto the ones willing to come near. Yet you, foster and adoptive parents, have immersed yourselves in the name of love. • There is a Cost to Being Used by God. New post on the blog. Link in my profile. • #adoption #fostercare #onethankfulmom
  • First monthly Qualls family meeting. We gathered from Idaho, Cincinnati, San Diego, Seattle, and even the Netherlands where Samuel is on a work trip. We were missing a couple kids, but it was good to see so many of them at the same time. • Hannah is taking charge of organizing Christmas details for everyone who can be here this year. Next year we hope to all be together. • When my kids were young, I imagined a future with them as adults. To be honest, it involved most of them living within 10 miles. Now it’s common to have kids on different continents, but the richness of the love we share fills my heart. I can’t wait to see what God does in their lives and our hearts. • Young mamas, the day will come when you count your adult children as something like friends, only much better. • #familymeeting #quallsfam #adoption #onethankfulmom