I remember anxiously waiting for Christmas as a child. I was waiting to decorate for Christmas, waiting to eat Christmas cookies and have hot chocolate, waiting for Christmas break, and waiting to open the gifts wrapped under the tree. Perhaps that’s why Christmas day often felt like a letdown. I had been waiting for Christmas… Read More Advent: A Season of Waiting
When we were adopting our son, we had three baby showers prior to his arrival. After we already had them scheduled, I discovered that our adoption agency discouraged baby showers before the birthmom terminated her rights. They felt that, if the match fell through, having to return the baby shower gifts would be too painful… Read More Adoption: What I Wish I Knew Before We Adopted Part Two
I remember anxiously sitting in a domestic adoption informational meeting with my husband and other potential adoptive parents. I felt hopeful at the start of the meeting, but as the speakers started to list the necessary requirements, fear crept in. The counselors emphasized the sacrifice birthmoms must make and the common tendency for them to… Read More Adoption: What I Wish I knew Before We Adopted Part 1
I remember watching his tiny head emerge into the world followed shortly by his shoulders and the rest of his body. His birthmom chose me to cut the umbilical cord, and I remember nervously holding the scissors, afraid I would cause more pain. But after a clean cut, the nurses quickly whisked him away to… Read More Adoption: Joy Intertwined with Sorrow
As I carried my newborn son down the elevator of the hospital, my heart filled with awe that this day had finally come. After a four-year wait, we were going to be parents for the first time. I stood in the lobby of a Detroit suburban hospital holding my son while my husband pulled the… Read More Adoption: Redemption from shame
When I was a little girl, I dreamed of marrying and having a family by the time I was 30. We would have a set of twin boys and another boy shortly after. Their names would all start with the letter “t” (though I’m not sure why). I envisioned myself with a large, pregnant belly,… Read More Adoption: A lesson in trust
As my feet were hitting the dirt path, a butterfly flittered in front of me. It seemed to be leading the way for me to follow. Throughout my run, a butterfly floated effortlessly in front of me and just as one left, another would replace it. Lately it seems as if my family is floating… Read More What to do in the aftermath of a crisis
It seems that fall finally fell upon us this past weekend. And as I was sitting outside with the neighbors watching the kids run in the street, I was filled with joy that the air was crisper and colder. As we later enjoyed pizza, I received a text from my husband, who was out of… Read More When loss comes suddenly
Welcome to my new website! I’m so glad to have you join me. Throughout this past summer, I’ve been thinking and praying about how I can use this space to better serve you. It has been a labor of love, but I feel like it is now ready to share with you. My content will… Read More My gift to you
When I went to my son’s end-of-the-year kindergarten play, I did not anticipate missing my mother-in-law. I sat joyfully watching my son participate in a short play and in name games. As we sat together on the colorful rug, he said, “If my nana was alive she would have been here. She would have loved… Read More Summer: a time to rest