We all make excuses for our behavior at times. We didn
For Fathers: Our Season of Excuses
Building the Nest 2012
It
He Is Here
In the feeding of bottles
And the spooning of cereal
In the wiping of faces
And the wiping of tears
He is here
As cleft lips are kissed
And toes are rubbed
And smiles are coaxed
He is here
In the sicknesses
In the surgeries
In the uncertainties
He is here
In the lullabies that are sung
And the books that are read
And the prayers that are whispered
Pleading for health
For hope
For home
He is here
And I find that this call to
Once Upon a Time
Once upon a time there was a sweet little family of four. There was a Daddy and a stay-at-home-Mommy and a little girl and a baby boy. Life was happy and sweet and their plates were full.
The Daddy and Mommy always stayed very busy. The Daddy was climbing the career ladder at work and the Mommy stayed busy with the children and their many activities.
The little family had big dreams. They dreamed of building a big, beautiful home on the lot of their tiny 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom house. They dreamed of taking their two childen on exotic, international trips every summer. They dreamed of country club memberships and educating their children at the very best private schools in Atlanta. The Mommy dreamed of upholstered furniture and custom window treatments for each room of their home. The Daddy dreamed of a lake house and early retirement and expanding his stock portfolio.
And then one night in the midst of all this dreaming the Lord gripped our hearts
{Advocating} Dancing Machine
Gifts are all opened. Toys have been played with and continue to be. Food has been eaten…and will be reheated today for round 2.
As we continue to enjoy family and rest, we cannot forget those who are still waiting. Children who have been waiting for years. This child–made ready for adoption and waiting for nearly 2 years for someone to make him theirs.
Read about him. Share about him. Maybe his family will meet him today for the first time. Now, that would be a Merry Christmas.
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Not just another summer. This past July, my husband and I returned to China to be part of of the Bring Me Hope Camp in Xian for Chinese orphans. This was our 2nd BMH camp in Xian. And, knowing what we were getting into, we were both very excited to spend 5 days with children who would no doubt change us as we served them.
I was blessed to actually go to the orphanage to collect the orphans and bring them to our campsite. And, the first child I saw was a little boy I remembered from the year before, a little boy who had been buddied with my friend. His little face just beamed when he saw me. Twelve months later, he clearly knew me. And, as happy as I was to see him, I was hoping I would not. I was hoping he wouldn’t still be there.
This year, he was my buddy. My little man
{Advocating} The Gift of a Home
Working in the field of adoption, I have read countless heartbreaking stories of the injustices children are forced to endure. Sometimes, I have to remind myself that each
{Advocating} Ready to Belong
In July, my husband and I traveled to China to serve with Bring Me Hope to provide a camp experience for orphans. As prepared as you think you are with packing lists and immunizations and reading all you can beforehand, I wasn’t at all prepared for what God had in store for me.
My heart was broken. My heart was broken over each one of those children He brought to that camp. Broken.
During my second week in Xi’an, I had the tremendous blessing of spending 5 days with a sweet little boy [David]. I’ll never forget seeing him for the first time. He immediately reached for my hand and held it with a tight grip. He didn’t want to let me go. I noticed right away that he had some difficulty walking. And, as we walked to the edge of the room together to play, I became more aware of the trouble he had walking. As I walked easily in stride, I could feel his body shift from left to right as we walked hand in hand. He has scoliosis. I imagine that the years of little to no treatment and no family to help him get what he needs has contributed to his rhythmic gait.
But, his spirit is so bright. He smiled up at me with an excited grin and told our translator he was excited to come to camp. Every few minutes, he would shift his entire body to turn and smile at my translator and me. I remember consciously noticing what a beautiful smile he had.
That first afternoon, we played badminton until we could play no more. And, he laughed and played with joy despite the differences in how God formed his shape.
When I think about [David], I think first of his sweet spirit–quick to listen, eager to try new things and soak every bit out of camp that he could. He had two close buddies at camp. They all lived in the orphanage together, and it was very easy to tell that they were best buds, three peas in a pod. It occurred to me that they were probably the closest thing he has to a family, the closest thing he has experienced of what it feels like to belong.
He was made paper ready, made available for international adoption when he was only 5 years old.
He just turned 8.
And, for nearly 3 years, he has waited, paper ready to be adopted.
[David] seemed most happy when he was beside his two best friends. I couldn’t help but picture him home with a family, HIS family, and how happy he would be, how much potential he has, how much he’d grow and thrive. And, how tightly he’d hold the hand of his mother and father.
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This little boy’s name has been changed for the purpose of advocating.
4 years, 10 months, 17 days…Done
Waiting under the stairs of the courthouse. It felt like time was crawling at a snail’s pace. My emotions were swirling. What was I supposed to be experiencing? Relief? Joy? Giddy excitement? Exhaustion? In my confusion, each sensation took a brief swirl through my body and brought eyes brimming with tears, cold sweats, yawns, giggles, and inevitably full blown sobs.
The kids made an honest attempt at patience, although the contentment brought by coloring books and snacks waned quickly. They sensed the weight of the morning’s events, yet as more friends and family surrounded us with their love and support, the children settled.
4 years and 10 months…we have waited this long to be here. This was it. The final step, the last event, the only thing seperating us from being fully united as a family. And, we were here. I started to sense the wave of relief rising behind me. Forcing steady, slow breaths and whispering praises, we clung to each other whenever a moment allowed.
Our name was at last called, and we filed into the court room, children racing to the jury box (to which the baliff said, “look, it’s a jury of his peers!”) as we gathered our little ones to the long table. Surreal.
{Adoption is} insane
Yep. You heard me.
In-sane.
Thought you were gonna come here for some encouraging words, didya?
Well, keep reading.
You would have to be insane to want to add more stress and chaos to your perfectly great life
