He Is

This morning on our drive to church service, I began singing a praise and worship song that seemed to be stuck in my head from the time I woke today.  Our oldest son, H, was riding with me (we'd split into two cars because after church, some of us had to be one place, while the others wanted to go their way) and he said, "Hey! I woke up to that song on my alarm clock."

The song was Matt Redman's You Never Let Go and as with most songs I hear, it's the chorus that fixes itself in my brain best.  I explained to H how that song has carried me through some of the darkest, most difficult moments I've faced in the past year.

Good Advice

A friend of mine (another mother) sent me this video today and maybe it's one you've seen already.  But it offered a lot of good advice to moms and was put together in a way that is both touching and relevant.  I wanted to share it here with you.  Turn up the volume and enjoy the video and the music.

The Mulberry Bird: An Adoption Story

Most other people are at least mildly suspicious about how our children came to be ours when they see us together.  Our family has a diversity of appearance that is unexpected by people who are meeting us for the first time.  Some curious people come right up and ask us if the kids are adopted and others stare from afar and wonder.  I'm not sure which is best.  To constantly discuss the adoption of our kids in front of them makes them feel self-conscious and to have people gawking isn't much better.

At any rate, we have grown used to questions and stares over the years and though I don't know what might be the best way to teach others to be kind and curious -- besides just loving us for how we are, even if you don't know the how and why -- it has given us many opportunities to help educate others about adoption.

Changed Views

You may have noticed a change to the appearance of this blog since your last visit.  Of course, if it is your first visit, there is less of a shock.  The truth is, I'm just learning how to use this blogger and I'm surprised by the different things available to make it prettier.  So hope you don't mind as I experiment now and then with different color schemes and backgrounds.  It's a lot easier than redecorating my house or trying out new hair colors, that's for sure.

In the meantime, I thought I'd share a personal story here from my day.  Let me start with last night, actually.  I was having dinner with four of the kids at a restaurant -- eating my salad -- when I started feeling some chest discomfort.  Heartburn.

Blogos-Fear

My husband suggested that I should write a bit about my fears of putting myself out here ... online ... in public ... so that when any of my readers are checking things out they realize what it means for me to be blogging for real, for you and for me.

Praying the Scriptures for Your Children

After kids began arriving in our care, first as foster children and then as permanent fixtures in our lives, I realized fairly quickly how little I really knew about parenting.  I am an oldest child; a firstborn of three girls.  Some might think that my practice as a big sister over the years would have taught me how to mother.

Welcome to the Journey

Hello.

I decided to create this blog with the intentions of providing encouragement to my fellow moms out there.  In return, I hope blogging will help me keep my own focus on my faith in Jesus Christ as I continue my walk as a mother, learning new skills every day and experiencing more joy than I ever believed I deserved.