Personal
A Tale of Two Stories
Preface: I’ve been trying to write the story of our adopted kids and how that came about, but I’ve found it to be an impossible task to separate their story from the parallel story of our former foster sons. In my heart, their stories are not only parallel, but strongly interwoven and nearly inseparable. It is a two-sided coin: love and joy on one side and … [Read More...]
5 Years Later: On My Catholic Conversion
Never for one second have I regretted my decision to become Catholic. Within its theology, I have found more challenge, more vastness, more embrace of the whole of me. And I’m not exaggerating when I say that the last five years have been the most challenging of my life and if I had not become Catholic, I don’t know how I could’ve made it through. The … [Read More...]
Rejoicing and Mourning: Rambling Reflections on 2020
Sometimes you just need to grab a hand and leap through the flames. “Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.” In so many ways, this seemed to be 2020’s tagline. I witnessed those thriving more than ever before, and those struggling more than ever to survive. It was a both/and kind of year. And as it drew to a close, I thought … [Read More...]
2020: Praying for Miracles
Miracle is defined by the Merriam-Webster Dictionary in this way. 1 : an extraordinary event manifesting divine intervention in human affairs (the healing miracles described in the Gospels). 2 : an extremely outstanding or unusual event, thing, or accomplishment (The bridge is a miracle of engineering). This year has been filled with the unexpected. On a … [Read More...]
Thoughts on Being a Mom Never Called Mom and the Importance of Trust-Based Parenting
I’ve been called many things by the kids I’ve raised: Mama Nina, Nina, Anna, Miss Anna—but I’ve never had the title “Mom” because in the fostering world, and in our family growing up, that title is one of contention. Growing up, it was taboo to speak of me doing the job of a mom, because it would hurt my Mom. But to me, the title means nothing because I know something … [Read More...]
