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Christian Encouragement for New Moms
I’d love to share some encouragement for new moms that I’ve learned along the way because we all feel a little alone as moms sometimes. Motherhood can be overwhelming and isolating. But we don’t have to feel like we’re the only ones in our situation. We’re not all in the same boat, but we’re all in the same storm. I’ve heard that said many times about the current virus situation, but it’s so true about parenting. And I want you to know you’re not alone. My biggest encouragement for new moms is that no one is totally prepared for parenting. You’re not doing it wrong (at least not any more…
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Solving Family Conflict in a Christ Pleasing Way
Family conflict is especially hurtful. We know the world at large will hurt us, but expect our family to be a safe place. We hope our family loves, respects, values, treasures us. So when family conflict surfaces, we are often surprised and find ourselves deeply wounded. But when we are hurt, we usually don’t respond well. Our first instinct is to get defensive. Our second is to wound back or withdraw. Neither response strikes at the heart of the conflict or reflects Christ. And families often gather at already stressful times: weddings, funerals, holidays. Emotions are already running high. One careless word can ignite a firestorm if we don’t focus…
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Adoption Made Us Family: Adoption Day
Today is National Adoption Day. I keep hoping to write the perfect post that reflects just how amazing adoption has been in my life, but I have yet to find words that do this journey justice. While this was originally written on National Adoption Day 2016, it rings true for today and every day since the day we first saw her in the NICU in Texas. All I can say is adoption made us a family. Last fall, I was watching the Michael Weatherly drama Bull. The episode featured a woman who went into surgery expecting to come out with her ability to carry a child restored, but had to…
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Valentine’s Day Tradition to Show Kids True Love
Valentine’s Day is one of my favorite holidays as a parent. That might sound strange because Valentine’s Day is usually thought of as a romantic holiday, BUT we started this sweet tradition several years ago. My daughter was just old enough to start understanding that there was a holiday, and it involved presents and chocolate. I mean, what else does a girl need to know? She was all in. But I wanted to find just the right way to celebrate Valentine’s Day as a family. When I saw John 3:16 written so the word VALENTINE was created, I knew that was the message I wanted for her, because it is…
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World Adoption Day – My Starfish
I always hope that I’m going to have something inspirational ready to post on World or National Adoption Day, but here it is, and I don’t know what to say this year except being an adoptive mom makes me . . . a mom, maybe not the same kind of mom as someone else, but the one I was meant to be. Having a biological child was never possible for me, and I’ve grieved that loss. Yet, I realize now, that if I had given birth, I wouldn’t have the daughter I do today. I might not have pursued adoption the way I did. And my daughter is perfect, sometimes…
