Whenever I sit to write, I am already at the middle of it. It’s the beginning that always befuddles me. I never know where to start.
That is because, in this conversation at least, there is …

I experienced my first moment of overt racism just months before our adoption referral. The wife of an elder at our then-church and I joyously discussed the upcoming domestic adoption of dear friends of ours, SongOfSixpence and the King (although this time the baby was Blackbird rather than ThePie). Wife-of-the-Elder patted me on the shoulder, believing she consoled me, saying, “And they got a white baby.”

Yesterday, as I dragged my now five-and-a-half-year-old Tongginator into a local coffee shop, a man surprised me from behind, asking quite bluntly, “Where is she from?” I turned and looked at him for a minute with a raised eyebrow before sharing the name of our town, then adding, “but she was born in China” so that I could avoid the dreaded “But where is she really from?”

Adoptive parents are a diverse crowd, and our children are just as diverse, so I don’t know that it’s completely fair to create a list of specific dos and don’ts and say “THIS is what love in adoption MUST look like.” But… but… some overall concepts are universally true. While we may not agree on every single detail, and I may not be right on every single point, I do believe that sharing my list – the things that God has placed on my heart – will help you think more about God’s Truth when it comes to your own call to adopt.

Republished by Blog Post PromoterI don’t know how to summarize the death of Chapman’s daughter so I would like you to read People’s summary of the tragic event.
Maria Sue, 5, was adopted from China.

What if you couldn’t turn on the light, any light, not even a flashlight? What if you simply had no means of stretching across the span that separated you from what you desired? What if the person you wished to learn from couldn’t communicate?

Last month, I was interviewed for GIMH’s first “feature writer” post.  This month, I had the honor of interviewing one of my co-writers here at GIMH, Judy Miller of The International Mom.  Judy’s a gifted …

Every year for Chinese New Year, our foster home celebrates the holiday by engaging in all the most common traditions – decorating the home with paper cuttings and chuen lian (door post hangings), lighting fire crackers, eating lots of oranges, making jiaozi (dumplings) and stuffing ourselves until we all want to nap. (Though the food is different, the actual cultural practice is similar to America’s Thanksgiving!)

2010 is the Year of the Tiger! Create beautiful tiger patterned lanterns to decorate your home for the New Year. So simple, this craft is for kids of all ages and skill levels.

It struck me the other day, as I sat with a new mom and dad as they met their adoptive daughter for the first time, that I’m a doula of sorts. Eyes wide with excitement and shining with glossy tears, the proud new parents watched their energetic toddler scamper across the room. Already she’d worked her way into their hearts, though they’d never met her in person until this moment.