Weekend Book Review-- "Baby We Were Meant for Each Other" by Scott Simon

Scott Simon's book, "Baby We Were Meant for Each Other" was such a fun book to read. Simon allows the reader to learn about he and his wife's difficulty to conceive and on the journey to adopt 2 girls from China. He explores the natural beauty and miraculousness that is inevitably found in adoption, but he also tells of the emotional toll it can take on both parent and child. He is realistic in his tales. He talks of the search of ethnic identity for adoptees (both domestic and international), he discusses the questions of adopted children. There are stories of various adopted families within the book. The book is not Christian based, because as Simon tells you, his kids are half-Jewish. However, he did have an intellectual spin to each topic presented, and it was thoughtfully written. Truthfully, the book was a nice break from some of the heavier, bonding and attachment reading that comes with educating oneself about adoption. If you know me, I need to throw in a few laughs once in a while, too! :-)

November 7, 2010-- Orphan Sunday

We are away from home (visiting some pretty cute little nieces!), and will not be able to attend service at our church for "Orphan Sunday." I'm bummed on a couple of levels. This church is relatively new to us. We had decided to change churches (a rather long time ago), and we have been "church shopping" ever since. There really are a number of churches that fit our needs and teach the 'good word.' It is kind of a nice problem to have. I can't really say why we haven't pulled the trigger and officially joined. Part of me wants to be sure, beyond a shadow of a doubt that we won't be church shopping again in a year or two once we join. So, all that said... I'm curious if the church on the top of our list will recognize "Orphan Sunday." It isn't the end of the world if they don't, we would feel comfortable asking them to incorporate it in the future, BUT you know how sometimes we pray for 'signs' (even though we shouldn't), I was kind of hoping to see some major awareness about foster care, domestic and international adoption and child sponsorship this week, and that would be my sign that we FINALLY found THE PLACE.

Well, that ought to do it for this mornings discombobulated thoughts :-)  I will leave you with this...

Hope is Fading – Orphan Sunday from Allan Rosenow on Vimeo.

November is National Adoption Month- Celebrating a Family for Every Child

Another Steven Curtis Chapman video as we kick-off November and National Adoption Month. I posted a link to Holt International on the right, in case you ever wanted to know more about adoption :)

Weekend Book Review--"There Is No Me Without You" by Melissa Fay Greene

I think it is obvious that I use this blog for a number of reasons (all of them selfish). I use it to update friends and family on our adoption journey. I use it as a journal to chronicle events and feelings related to our adoption journey, and I want to use it as a keepsake for our child(ren) to look back on what we were up to when we were on our way to them. One of the things we have been up to is reading adoption related books. Amazon is onto me...all of the 'suggestions' they provide when I log in are adoption and child-rearing related. Smart folks over there at Amazon. I could save a ton of $ if I would just quit logging on. Trust me, my library card gets a regular work-out, but I like to buy the adoption books so I can shelve them, loan them out, and look back on them for reference.

The first book "review" I did was about Ashes to Africa and that post can be found HERE. Another book that I read early on in our adoption journey was There Is No Me Without You by Melissa Fay Greene. I'm not sure what to say about the book other than it was life-changing for me. Where to even start? I am a fan of U2 and I don't live under a rock, so of course I knew/know of the AIDS epidemic ravaging Africa and her people. There Is No Me Without You was the first time that I realized what that really meant. I had never truly put a face and a life or lives to the crisis and that is what this book did for me. The statistics, tied with personal stories, contributing to the orphan crisis, truly put things in perspective for me. 

Haregewoin Teferra lived a "middle-class" lifestyle with her husband and 2 daughters in Ethiopia. After the sudden death of her husband and later, one of her daughters, she thought her own life was over. God clearly had different plans for her. The book chronicles how she became a foster mother to hundreds of Ethiopian children, many of them abandoned due to the AIDS crisis. She sacrificed and worked to care for and love these children. In return, they gave her a much needed, revived sense of purpose. The best way to learn about Waizero (Mrs.) Teferra's life and work??? Read There Is No Me Without You and search the website dedicated to the book HERE. Simply incredible, simply moving, simply love. In this book, I learned what it really means for one person to make a difference. 

I borrowed this image from the book website, but hopefully I don't get into trouble, because I'm promoting them and the book, right?!

 

Not So Wordless Wednesday

Maura thought that if we gave Eskimo kisses it would warm our noses :)

Gabby was confused about taking a pic *with* Nana Pat

Elizabeth and her new glasses (she's not even giving the 'librarian' look!) and her treasured, Aunt Kara

Weekend Book Review

Reading is one of my favorite activities. I love curling up in bed before I slumber and doing some reading. It is also my favorite activity on snow days!!! Oh, and I like to read when I am lounging on my pink lawn chair in the summer (I'm guessing this activity will slow when the little one comes home, and I'm ok with that). Until then, I am going to keep on keepin' on. Thought I'd share some of the adoption related books I've been reading in the past year. Here it is:

Ashes to Africa by Josh and Amy Bottomly

This is one of the first books I picked up after we had decided to adopt from Ethiopia. It was a great read, because it gave us great perspective on some of the things we would encounter on our adoption journey. The Bottomly’s give a tender account about how they were led to international adoption as a couple. Their experience didn’t necessarily mirror ours (are there 2 stories that are exactly alike?), but it did have some striking similarities. It was nice to hear from a “typical” couple about their decision and journey to adopt (while celebrities can give an account just as striking, it sometimes strikes *me* personally as though some of those adoptions are for a statement-making reason…AND I could totally be wrong about this, because I don’t know Angelina Jolie or Madonna personally…)

Whether already in process or if adoption is just beginning to be laid on your heart, Ashes to Africa  is a book that will provide personal insight into the hearts and the process of adoption. Let’s give it 3.5 smiles :) :) :) :

Amy Bottomly’s blog is: http://www.bottomlysandethiopia.blogspot.com/ and the perk is…you get to see and read about Silas (the son who found his forever family in Ashes to Africa) and in the last few months, Silas has gained a cutie pa-tootie little sister, Olive! Yay!!!!!