I’m home from beautiful Whitefish, Montana where I spoke at the Deeply Loved retreat for foster and adoptive moms. I loved being with the amazing women who inspired me as much as I hope I inspired them. God is writing beautiful stories in their lives and families. Today is Kalkidan’s birthday. I can’t even imagine […]
grief
When Loss and Sadness Won’t Stay Pressed Down
I didn’t plan to write about loss today because I’m trying not to feel – pushing away the emotions threatening to bubble up and overtake me. I think, “I don’t have time for this. I can’t spend a day crying, and if I start, I’m not sure I’ll be able to stop.” What does loss […]
Can Suffering Make You an Introvert?
Last weekend I posted this on my OTM Instagram and Facebook page: This is the full text: Once upon a time, I was an extrovert, but that feels like a distant memory. The change may have begun as a slow draining away as we dove into parenting kids with lots of trauma, but our accident […]
How Does a Father Love His Daughter?
The farm mower was loaded in the bed of the old Dodge truck and he wore his dad’s old Carhart jacket. It was Father’s Day and he was ready to work. We stood on the front porch, holding each other close for a moment, my head resting near his heart. He loved being Kalkidan’s dad. […]
3 Special Moments You Shouldn’t Miss
“Go to the wedding, go to the funeral, stop at the lemonade stand.” For many years life was crazy busy. I homeschooled, parented seven children, adopted four more children, wrote a blog, spoke at conferences, and learned all about parenting kids with trauma. Living in the trenches of parenting children from “hard places” was a […]
Walking Through the Hard
How do I step back into writing when it feels like so much has happened? My father passed away last Sunday. It still feels hard to believe. He had a pacemaker put in March 13th and was fine until April 1st when he collapsed. I got in the car and headed to Seattle an hour […]