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 mom with a beautiful heart for encouraging and equipping other adoptive...

My daughter arrived home at thirteen months, broken in spirit and disconnected. I sensed that she was engulfed in an invisible cocoon. Her cries and screams, which happened without warning and often over a dozen times each day, expressed her fathomless grief and her inability to connect. My daughter...

Growing up, “A” was for attitude. And as I grew older, into the edgy years of puberty, “A” became “AA”—for attitude adjustment. My father liked to say, “You need an attitude adjustment.” Frequently spot-on, his comment was met with a snarl and affirming nod from reluctant me. As I...

We’ve all been inundated with the news and images from Haiti as the living fight to survive disease and death in the aftermath of the 7.0 earthquake that devastated their world January 14th. At the time of this writing more than 200,000 dead are thought to be dead and tens of thousands are unaccounted...

Hi Everyone! 2010 is here. And with a new year comes new growth. I am excited to announce that I am facilitating a new class called Parenting Your Adopted Child: Tweens, Teens and Beyond. Please join me in spreading the word about a class I have developed and am facilitating that begins February 10,...

Guatemalan Worry Dolls are well known. Worry Dolls typically come in a group of six within a small woven bag or brightly painted wood box. Worry Dolls originated with the Ancient Maya. It is believed that they were created from scraps left over from weaving and from pieces of wood. The bags were considered...

When I first had the opportunity to give a shower for friends who were adopting I tried to find ideas for how to give them an adoption shower and what to include. I didn’t find any. All of the ideas for showers focused on birth babies, so I came up with my own. Adoption showers are my favorite...

Family is all about connections. Reading and discussing books can help with those connections by providing a safe environment in which to discuss current, complex, germane, and sensitive issues within the context of discussing the book. This is one of the premises behind the practical and well written...

I recently read Pieces of Me: Who Do I Want to Be? Voices for and by adopted teens edited Robert L. “Bert” Ballard, (EMK Press November 2009) and I can’t wait to get my copy of it. It’s a timely and much needed book for adoptive and foster parents and adopted and fostered teens going...

by Mark, husband of Judy (Special Needs) Okay, so my wife, the writer, asked me to write something for Grown in My Heart as we approach this Father’s Day. I am the proud father of four children. Each of which had their own unique path into our hearts and our lives. In reflection I’ve often tried...