My previous blog post, A Racist and a Thug, has gotten more views and shares than any other post I've written. I am still scratching my head and wondering what has resonated so strongly with people. I encourage you to read it if you have not. This is our time in history and in our [...]
A Racist and a Thug
Jarvis. A black man raised in the depths of the inner city projects on the East side of Nashville. His arm is wrapped in a tattered, worn bandage that covers an old bullet wound. The wrap he wears around his arm helps with the pain from nerve damage. He will tell you he is not [...]
30 Years, and I Have Never Seen My Husband Cry, Until He Watched This Video- Nathan’s Story
I have known my husband for 30+ years and I have never seen him cry. It's been an ongoing joke just wondering what would make me finally see a tear. He is one of the most compassionate people I know. He just doesn't cry. Like ever. I've thought his tear duct was just broken. That [...]
Meringue, Sprinkles and Icing
The hardest part of my job in trying to bring relief to people in Ethiopia is the ability to make those of us in the American culture relate to their hardships. Frankly, it is almost impossible. I can tell you a story about walking past a child digging for food in the trash dump [...]
I Once Was Lost, Now I’m Found…Keeping the Connection with Birth Family in Ethiopia
In my previous post I shared my son Asfaw's story. His was a rare case of him being abducted from his village and lost for many years to the only birth relatives he had, his grandmother and her children. Though his was a rare case, I have seen the exact same emotions in other birth [...]
Finding My Child’s Birth Family in Africa
To keep on the topic of birth family, I will now share my thoughts on searching for and finding my son's birth family in Ethiopia. In my previous posts, I shared my views on what it was like to BE part of the birth family and take on the search to look for my brother [...]
PART 2, Finding My Brother…Birth Family and Adoption…and My Experience Being on Both Sides of It
This is a continuation of Part 1 from my previous post. NEVER in my wildest dreams would I ever have guessed I would be faced with the fear of losing my brother just one year after we finally found him. I had just found my brother a year earlier. He is 5 years older than [...]
Finding My Brother…Birth Family and Adoption…and My Experience Being on Both Sides of It
There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you. ~ Maya Angelou Birth family. It's an interesting subject. For some, it's a touchy subject that adoptive parents and even some adopted kids are scared to get too close to. Do you really open that door when you don't know what is [...]
I Spent The Night In An Orphanage
I had a memory pop up on my facebook. It is one that I will never forget. There are moments in life that shape us. I could never explain how many of the moments that have shaped me have come from the strength I have found in children. But these aren't just any children. This [...]
When NOT Helping Hurts
In the work I do to bring aid to those in need in Ethiopia, I see a lot of worry and concern about helping people the wrong way. I see this become such a concern that people are telling folks to just stay home from short term mission trips because they don't help, they only [...]
Kelly putty 