Scrapbook My Adoption
Tell your child’s story in a quick beautiful scrapbook perfect for little hands.Not Succombing to Bitterness While Waiting to Adopt
It’s so hard to wait. Summer seems to be filled with a million happy families everywhere you turn taking their kids for bike rides, ice cream, posting updates on Facebook about Disneyland vacations and going to visit grandma and grandpa. It’s so hard not to get jealous, isn’t it?
I remember those days well. I tried so, so hard not to be bitter, but to celebrate adoptions or births, but it hurt. One year, in January (right after emotional holidays) the local news announced that a celebrity (from Los Angeles) had adopted a baby boy from San Diego (where I live.) Well! I felt like that could hav been my baby! As a celebrity she could have abdopted anywhere, any time.. why in my town?
When I read the blog Grace in My Heart I was inspired by her attitude. Then I read more of her blog about the experience of parenting she and her husband had. They adopted a newborn baby boy for four months, only to have the birthfather contest (and win) the adoption. My heart just went out to her. I know she will inspire you too!
She shares…
…an old friend of mine had the following quote as her [Facebook] status update:
“Love is the uniting of our will to the will of God. It is abandoning ourselves totally into His hands, as a habitual disposition, even if we feel nothing.”
After I read this, I had a profound realization. As hard as it is, and for whatever reason, it is just not our turn to adopt yet. This quote was telling me that true love is completely abandoning all of my wants, needs, and desires to follow Christ’s will- even if I get nothing in return and feel nothing in return.
I could sit and feel sorry for myself, contemplate what else we could have said in our birthmother letter, and figure out what else I could do to make our picture look better or… I could accept God’s will, be happy for this couple and their new adopted baby, and be grateful that an adoption is taking place this month.
We Never Gave Up Hope - Adoption Transparency
Related articles by Zemanta
- Adoption seekers using YouTube, Facebook to find birth moms (web2list.com)
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_b.png?x-id=4d75285a-0c35-4da3-b05d-673ab7b934b2)
Discovering Signs That Adoption is God’s “Plan A”
I love how this woman, author All You Who Hope: Adoption blog, described her emotional journey to adoption. . .
I hate saying that things are signs. Obviously, these articles and videos are out there for everyone to consume. I’m not implying that God had all of these people conspire just so I could know that adoption is what he wants of us! What it’s about for me is how I’ve reacted to all of these things. Each and every time it comes up – from the conversation with my social worker the other day to a sudden influx in stories about adoption on the internet – I find myself not only excited about adoption but actually touched that I’ve been chosen for this path, and thankful. That’s definitely a change in my attitude since a year ago, or even last fall.
My heart has changed dramatically, and this week God is showing me that. That there’s nothing to be afraid of, and that this isn’t a second best life. He answered my prayer for insight this week and I wanted to recognize that.
Adoption Was God's Best
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_b.png?x-id=1d460578-aa96-4998-aae0-46c3acc5b04a)
Chapmans Open Maria’s Big House of Hope
Regardless of your beliefs, you may have heard last year when Steven Curtis Chapman, Christian singer, mourned the tragic accident of one of his adopted daughters, Maria Sue. A sibling accidentally backed the truck up. A family’s nightmare– however, has turned into a quest for hope to make her legacy long-standing.
Today Steven Curtis and his wife Mary Beth Chapman announced the grand opening of Maria’s Big House of Hope, a renovated building in China that will take care of orphans who have special needs. It’s a part of their Show Hope initiative.
Read more about this story here.
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_b.png?x-id=93e3f460-2edd-4881-b804-babe40510be3)
Your Goodie Bag #6 is Up At Scrapbook My Adoption
What’s new? What’s free? Read this week’s newsletter to find out!
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_b.png?x-id=b0d07bf0-189a-4fcb-bf2d-7e8c6af80895)
Nominate an Angel in Adoption
Do you know someone you would like to nominate to a Congressional
Office because of their dedication to improving the lives of children?
Complete the form at Angels
in Adoption and they will forward your nomination to the appropriate Congressional Office. In order to maintain the quality of this program, they need your knowledge of outstanding people or organizations to be passed along to your Members of Congress.
Without your nominations, this program would not be possible!
Note: the deadline is coming up! July 31st
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_b.png?x-id=189e1ff8-530c-4624-8ea5-a5b92b8344ca)
How Adoption Works… According to Kids
- Image via Wikipedia
I loved this blog post by Libby of about the reactions of her nieces and nephews when she told them of the upcoming adoption.
Our nieces and nephews are all very aware of the fact we are planning to adopt a baby, and all of them are very excited about the idea of a new cousin. They are even more excited though, because this baby is not coming “the old fashioned” way.
Luke, for instance, seems to think that adoption is a sort of baby pizza delivery service — you tell them exactly what they want and they bring it to your door. He has already told me several times that he would prefer a boy, because he has “way too many girl cousins.” He also would like a baby that doesn’t cry, and that likes to be outside, preferably to swim.
Amaya looks at adoption as more of a Home Depot. She thinks that somewhere in the Salt Lake valley there is a large warehouse where all the babies are kept, and we just need to go pick one up. I explained to her that, no, that is not quite how it works…
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_b.png?x-id=469534ca-6302-49e7-af28-048e48f3e1e0)
One Daughter’s Emotional Letter to Her Birth Mom
No matter how much we may be “mom” our children still will wonder about the woman who gave her birth and then entrusted her to someone else to raise. In this emotional letter to a birth mom written by Cathy Wallis, 39,
she expresses her many emotions and questions.
- If you ever wondered if I was happy, I was.
- Growing up I suppose I had a natural curiosity about who you were. I always had access to my adoption files and it said that I had a brother, Stephen, in Ireland. If I’m honest that’s who I’d wonder the most about.
- It was only when I was pregnant that I really got thinking about you. Especially when doctors asked me questions about my medical history.
- The really life-changing moment was when I laid my eyes on my first child. Marcus was so, so cute. I sat there in hospital looking at Marcus, knowing I could never leave him.It made me think what awful thing was happening in your life that made you walk out on me that day.
- I’ ve never felt anger, just this huge question mark. How bad were things for you that you couldn’t take me with you?
- >>read the rest of the letter here
It’s vital as adoptive parents that we always acknowledge that whether our child has an open adoption with her birthmom, or has no information at all, this woman still holds a place in her heart. Be there to listen. Don’t be envious of her thoughts about her birthmom. She will never stop being your daughter.
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_b.png?x-id=b9a2ddd0-27f8-4a61-a9dd-4668f74be892)
Church Family Reaches Out to Help With Adoption Fundraising
I recently saw this nice post at Life
with My Special Kids.
“We have seen such an outpouring of love from our church with Kellsey’s adoption, both in prayer and financially. My friend Lori and the Girls of Grace decided to do another bake sale for us yesterday since the first one went SO well! Earlier in the week they asked me to come ecord our story so people understand WHY we are adopting.”
It’s an a amazing story. Grab some tissues!
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_b.png?x-id=bec74697-c810-49f7-ba98-eced2eaf71f2)
