May 15, 2008
May 15, 2008
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“I Will Not Be Broken”: The Book by Jerry White, Survivor Corps

I have not read this book … but this looks like a worthwhile read for those who are struggling to rise above circumstances from their past or present. So I wanted to pass it on to you! In his website, White offers five steps to turn “survivors” into “thrivers”: 1. Face Facts. One must first accept the harsh reality about suffering and loss, however brutal. “This terrible thing has happened. It can’t be changed. I can’t rewind the clock. My family still needs me. So now what?” 2. Choose Life. That is, “I want to say yes to the future. I want my life to […]
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May 11, 2008
May 11, 2008
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Happy Mother’s Day … to Extraordinary Moms!

This week’s Catholic Carnival is up at “Organ-ic Chemist.” Be sure to check it out!Every woman on the face of this earth has been called to be one. Oh, yes … even you. The job description of an extraordinary mom has a bit of “give” in it, like your favorite pair of jeans. For some, it involves childbirth … many times over. Stretch marks and sore nips and the kind of pain that makes a bad case of cramps seem like a walk in the park. For some, the call involves sending several children on ahead of you to heaven. Or bearing with courage infertility […]
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May 9, 2008
May 9, 2008
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“Don’t Be Weird, Mom!”

(This is a continuation of the series of articles reflecting on Come Be My Light and the spiritual motherhood of Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta, patron of adoptive and foster families, which I began earlier this year. For the original post, click the title.) Sarah is an extraordinary walking paradox. She will parade around the house (and in public as often as I let her) with a mind-blowing array of fashion statements: I applaud her budding confidence (insofar as it does not exceed the bounds of propriety). What puzzles me is that if I do anything the least bit unconventional … breaking into an impromptu […]
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May 9, 2008
May 9, 2008
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“Dusting” … a new reason for parents of teens to lie awake at night!

A friend of mine sent this to me … At first I thought it was one of those urban legends that sometimes makes the rounds. Sounded too bazaar to be true. A kid, dead from inhaling air in a can? But I did a little checking, and it appears to be legit. (Note to husband: Skip the “air in a can” keyboard clearners. Dirty keyboards are WAY better than dead teenagers.) NOTE TO PARENTS: If your kid complains that his tongue hurts, it might be frostbite from “dusting.”
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May 9, 2008
May 9, 2008
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Day in the Life of a Foster Mom

This is my final installment in the series about Come Be My Light, on the spiritual motherhood of Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta and why she is the perfect patronness of adoptive and foster families. The final point that I took from this book was the idea that we need to be prudent in deciding what we are — and are not — able to do to meet the overwhelming need around us. When our kids came to us (initially with their older sister) we learned the hard way that there was only so much that we could do. It broke our hearts when we […]
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May 7, 2008
May 7, 2008
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Great Quote of the Week

“We do not draw people to Christ by loudly discrediting what they believe, by telling them how wrong they are and how right we are, but by showing them a light that is so lovely that they want with all their hearts to know the source of it.” – Madeleine L’Engle Via Sarah at Just Another Day of Catholic Pondering
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May 7, 2008
May 7, 2008
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Called to be God’s “Skin”

This story appeared on Kate Wicker’s blog recently, about a little girl who longed for a mom. It broke my heart to read about this little girl, so vulnerable and lonely. So many people, crushing in all around her … and yet, she did not have a mother’s love to warm her heart. My friends, one does not have to go to India to experience this kind of heartache. There are children right here — very likely, right in your own backyard — who need a mother’s love. Jesus promised that whoever ministers to “the least of these,” in fact is ministering to Him. The […]
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May 7, 2008
May 7, 2008
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Have you ever considered foster-adoption?

Today I came across this report from the Dave Thomas Foundation, which promotes foster adoption of the more than 114,000 children in the U.S. who are currently available for adoption. Highlights of the report include: * Nearly half (45%) of Americans believe that children who are wards of the state are in the system due to delinquency … When in reality the vast majority are in the system out of no fault of their own, having been abused, abandoned, or neglected. * Nearly half (46 percent) of all Americans mistakenly believe that foster care adoption is expensive, when in reality adopting from foster care without […]
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May 6, 2008
May 6, 2008
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Has Your Child Been Abused?

It’s a sad reality of life that many of the children who go into the foster care system have been exposed to horrific kinds of abuse and neglect. In some cases, the abuse is “passive” — such as being allowed to see pornography on television. In many cases, however, the abuse takes far more sinister forms. Children who have been abused have scars that make them vulnerable to subsequent abuse. So sorting out the real threats from the fears is very important, and often requires the help of a trained professional. However, it is usually the parent (adoptive or foster parents included) who first see […]
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