Category: Spiritual
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Believe
What my daughter needs is words of encouragement. It’s her lifeline, especially when she struggles, when she doubts herself. A parent’s belief in the kids’ success comes before the success. I believe god help my unbelief. As I speak power into her heart, “you are smart, you will succeed, you will overcome this challenge” I…
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Mindset
“The damage is done. Let’s see how we can fix it.” On the receiving end, if someone with authority says that to you, instead of discussing consequences, it’s pure grace. You don’t sweep the issue under the cover. But the approach is not punitive. It’s constructive. Literally. Last week, an adoptive parent said that his…
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The road to healing
My experience as an adoptive parent tells me that the hard part is only now beginning. The ability to trust again, to rest, to find pleasure in simple activities. For some, the ability to still enjoy life in the midst of chaos may have been their saving grace. The adults have a better self-regulating system,…
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Inner-circle
To belong. To be seen. To be loved. We are an odd bunch, but we resonate with each other. We felt it was high time to create a space for adoptive families to meet again. It has been a challenging season, from pandemic and isolation to war and generally parenting small people with different personalities,…
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Outsider
I went to a launch party for a print magazine. I have been so busy, so involved in so many projects, this attendance didn’t even register as something out of my comfort zone. My friend was supposed to come with me. I was excited. There was a dress code and fancy famous people, influencers and…
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Serving with different gifts
I received a donation from family and a friend, to help with the refugees. We don’t have a lot of wiggle room money these days for unforeseen large expenses , so we accepted their generosity. A burden of grace. The oil belonging to the widow in sarepta. Being available to serve, to pick up and…
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Math
The “attitude of war” is becoming all too familiar. The emotional rollercoaster in our pre-pre teens has began a while ago. We would be in denial not to acknowledge it. The difference is stark between a 5 years old and a 8 years old. Something triggers her. Maybe she didn’t sleep enough, or too much.…
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Love your neighbor
It was brought to my attention that we have never had good relationships with out Ukrainian neighbors. Land was disputed. Nationalism was inherited from generation to generation. We rarely visited each other. My parents took a trip to Ukraine when I was my daughters age, and I got lost there, just for 30 minute, enough…
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The difficult question of submission, not so difficult after all
We met at the age of 22. Our love and obedience to God was a decisive factor in our decision to marry. I had no illusions about my husband’s experience and abilities as a spiritual leader, to be the priest of our house. But I told him I loved God more than I loved him.…
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When it clicks
When I run out of solutions, I blatantly point my husband or my kids to God. “Ask Him!” I say. Pray about it. I don’t know anymore. It is not a secret that my biggest trigger is a disrespectful or ungrateful attitude. I wonder sometimes if my eyes trick me and I jump to conclusions.…
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Repair
They say it is better to make mistakes and repair than to be a perfect parent. So they say. A bone that breaks but heals well, it’s stronger than the bone that never broke. I assume it’s the other leg of the same person so we have generally the same bone density to begin with.…
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Connection
When we are at odds with out kids, we know what they need most is connection. When they whine, they misbehave, they push boundaries, if we as parents find a way to rise above the drama, feel mercy, feel empathy, show kindness, express honesty, then the connection is reestablished. For a few days we struggled.…