Must Have Adoption Book

Our copy of this perfectly perfect adoption book finally arrived. It is a MUST have for anyone with a heart for adoption. Tymm and Laura shared this book with us, and we ordered it immediately. The story did not disappoint. This author "gets" adoption. She gets the waiting, the yearning, and the holding of a child in your heart who might yet have a face. She gets the questions an adopted child will likely have and she gets the heart of the adoptive mother.

This is the story of Mama Fox telling Baby Fox about their family's adoption story. Thank you, Lisa Tawn Bergren, for this gift to the adoption community.

(Mama Fox) "I dreamed of how you would look, smell even what you would sound like. And every day I thought how wonderful it would be to hold you in my arms."

(Mama Fox) "I started seeing you everywhere. In the leaves of the giant oak and in the bark of the pine. Even in the stars! Oh, how I long for the day that you would arrive, when God would find us YOU. "

(Baby Fox) "And then I came?"

(Mama Fox) "Oh, no. No matter how much I prayed it would happen. I still had to wait."

(Baby Fox) "You waited and waited and waited?"

(Mama Fox) "And waited. But I knew someday you'd arrive, when God found us YOU."

I Have Decided to Quit Speeding

I have learned to quite speeding through life, always trying to do too many things too quickly, without taking the time to enjoy each day's doings. I think I always thought of real living as being high. I don't mean on drugs-I mean real living was falling in love, or when I got my first job, or when I was able to help somebody, or watch my baby get born, or have a good morning of really good writing. In between the highs I was impatient-you know how it is-life seemed so DAILY.

Now I love the dailiness. I enjoy washing dishes. I enjoy cooking, I see my father's roses out the kitchen window, I like picking beans. I notice everything-birdsongs, the clouds, the sound of wind, the glory of sunshine after two weeks of rain. These things I took for granted before.

When I stop speeding through life, I find the joy in each day's doings, in life that cannot be bought, but only discovered, created, savored, and lived.

~Olive Ann Burns, Taken from Mitten Strings from God: Reflections for Mothers

Sometime, somehow, I decided to stop speeding. I hit the brakes and decided to stop. Hear God. Savor my family. Love on people and covet stillness.


I am so grateful for the opportunity to work part-time, but even with part-time (with my personality), I work full-time. I went back to work from summer break last week. From the moment that alarm went off on that first Monday, it was full speed ahead. Work all day, computer and work bag work all night. During this busy week, a former boss asked me to come and get paid extra to do professional learning at her school. My heart skipped. "She wants me?" My driven, ambitious brain thought, "YES, YES, YES!" This opportunity would equal career connections, opportunity, and just generally more, more, more.


That my friends, is a problem because that is not me anymore. I choose to slow this life down. Our culture suggests that productivity is the key to happiness. It says that bigger is better and that more is preferred. I know better.


In reflecting on all this today, I made a decision. I reminded myself again, that for me, my family, my friends and my faith, I choose not to speed.

I'll probably have to remind myself again tomorrow.

On the Nightstand

Sophia has made our hearts swell over the last few weeks by randomly reciting her version of the beginning of the "Our Father" prayer. Mark has always said this prayer with her as part of their nighttime routine. At some point, she started saying a few of the words along with him. Now, as she is playing, she'll start softly saying her "Our Fadder" (occasionaly with a random EIEIO inserted). Nothing has ever made us more proud of our girl. At the same time, nothing has ever made us realize more what an important gig parenting is. She listens. She watches. She mimicks. That is heavy stuff. It is about more than changing diapers, washing sticky hands, putting on socks and reading Brown Bear, Brown Bear 1,000 times.

We believe in parenting with a purpose. We believe that Sophia is a gift to us from God, and that she is not ours. We are blessed to have the opportunity to care for her and guide her. We are blessed by her giggles, snuggles and joyful, energetic little self. The bigger blessing; however, is to be her example and her guide. Not to make her believe everything that we believe out of force, but to help her figure out for herself who God is. For right now, we are her only model. Again, heavy stuff.

I recently asked a few of my favorite mentor moms for some parenting advice and book suggestions. I take this gig seriously, and try to keep studying up. The inspirational Donna (fun, realistic, faith-filled, homeschooling mom to a handful of kids, one being a sweety adopted from China) suggested this "get ya' thinking deeply" book.

The premise of the book is that we are to disciple our kids just as Jesus discipled his 12 disciples. It is Biblical, and is food for the parenting soul. Here are some quotes:

"Each of our children has been given a specific personality and a particular set of circumstances that will give shape to God's purpose for his or her life. It is our priviledge and responsibility as parents to help our children understand their particular fit in God's plan."

"We must strive as a family to keep our focus on the eternal, not the ordinary."

At the end of each section are verses to look up and questions to ponder. Some of them, really get us thinking. Like...

Write out a list of your child's characteristics (personality traits, etc.) that you believe God can use for His purposes.

Write down what tends to irritate you about your child and sometimes keeps you from showing God's gracious love. Pray and make a plan for how you will respond more graciously in those situations.

This is good stuff, folks. Deep thinking, deep studying and deep prayer about being good parents. It is the least we can do in return for the big gift we were given 21 months ago.

Anybody have other books to recommend?

Psalm 127:3 Beloved, children are a heritage from the Lord.

Creative Inspiration

This has been a summer of inspiration. We've been inspired to spend more time outdoors, get closer to God, eat healthier, to be more thoughtful in parenting our toddler and to be more creative. I've decided to start blogging a bit more about those things.

When someone suggested The Creative Family to me, I instantly knew it was a book that I could connect with. The description is "How to Encourage Imagination and Nurture Family Connections". Use words like that, and you are speaking to my heart!

"Given the creative nature of children, it is no coincidence that so many of us are led to seek a more creative life in the presence."

~Amanda Blake Soule


I really connected with this. Something about being a mother has truly re-awakened a sense of gratitude, wonder and creativity in me. I have huge lists filled with crafts, projects and outdoor activities that I want us to do.

I find myself following blogs like SouleMama, The Artful Parent and No Time for Flash Cards. I am not a TV fan (other than Top Chef, Next Food Network Star, Grey's Anatomy and 24...OK, maybe I am a fan.), so I spend time reading and following crafty, loving, momma blogs! I am inspired to try new things, to be a better parent, and to be grateful for the beauty of the simple aspects of family life.

As a result, I am going to start posting some of what we are learning and more about the little VERY SIMPLE projects we do. For us, blogging is a way to connect and a way to share. I am inspired by other bloggers, and I'd love to pass any of that along to anyone interested. I am not sure why I love to blog so much, other than it is another creative outlet for us....even if nobody is reading except our parents!