Loving in the Midst of Loss- Magazine article

Hey friends!

Here is my latest article for the Fostering Families Today magazine in my Spilled Milk column for their Jan/Feb 2018 issue.

I hope it resonates with you as you either experience this kind of loss or walk through grief with someone in your life. I want to give a big thank you to all who made the effort to comfort our family during a hard season of life. The little things really go a long way to help carry us through.

(Below the images is the text for easier reading if needed.)

Loving in the Midst of Loss. 

One of the realities of our foster parenting is having children leave our home. Just as kids come through our front door with little preparation, they can leave and in doing so, leave us unprepared for how to get through grief.

Having recently gone through this kind of loss, where our two-year-old foster daughter left our family after raising her for the two years prior, our family was shaken. And yet the love that poured out from those around us really did help ease the pain that we were not alone. 

It is been too long...

Wow.

It has been a long time since I have had a new post.

Life has been, well, hard. We have been going through some rough seasons and change.

So. Much. Change.

Our foster daughter who we raised since she was just three weeks old, moved out of our family after two and a half years of being in our family.
My husbands job changed, same place, new role.
Our life group came to an end, our church location will be moving this year, still waiting to see God unfold the details.
We started homeschooling all five of our kids this fall.

It is difficult to put it all into words sometimes. Honestly, so many times I wanted to post and felt like I needed to digest my reflections more before I did.

But this year is coming to a close and I hope to start writing on this platform more.
But don't forget to check out my column, Spilled Milk, in the Fostering Families Today magazine.

You can also like my Facebook page, What Led Me to You for more updates.

My husband and I have made some new family goals and we are eager to see what God will be doing  this next year.

Racial Mirrors: Who Do They See?

This topic has been on my heart lately. I wrote this piece for my column, Spilled Milk, in the Fostering Families Today magazine July/Aug 2016 issue. You can get your subscription HERE.

Racial Mirrors: Who do they see?

My five-year-old son was holding my hand as we walked down the sidewalk on the busy street so he could get his first big boy hair cut. I was determined to walk into that barber shop with confidence, because I knew that if I was going to show my son that he could embrace this part of who he is, I should to feel comfortable too. I think I was nervous about being judged as the white, adoptive, mom who hadn’t done this before. Aren’t we all, when we step into a new part of parenting? 

We first became a transracial family five-years ago, when our son came to us just before his first birthday, I immediately started learning about hair styles and skin care products. I started scanning the toy aisle for any African-American toys I could find for him. Books with diversity in their illustrations made their way into my shopping cart. I will never forget my excitement the year that I found a black angel for the top of our Christmas tree. I was eager to fill my house with items that my son could identify with, but I know even more now, that parenting a child of a different race involved so much more than that. 

Fostering Families Today magazine column!

                       

I am beyond excited to share with you that starting in the May/June 2016 issue I will be find my column in the Fostering Families Today magazine!

I am so honored that they asked me and I can't wait to connect with the readers. I have already started working on article ideas and praying about what subjects I should touch on. As most of you know I am a very reflective writer and love to advocate for support and connection among parents.

So, be sure to get your subscription going in either print or digital. You can find more details at http://www.fosteringfamiliestoday.com