Yesterday was the Fourth of July, so like everyone else I was thinking of our freedom, our country, our privileges. As you know, my three adopted kids came from Kazakhstan. Buggy had to apply for her citizenship after we brought her home in April 1999. It was a formality—they had to grant it, but we still had to fill out …
Meet Ahmose
This is Ahmose. An orphan-slave in Ramses’s palace, befriended by Bezalel, in Sinai he finds his forever family. He returns in By the Waters of Kadesh. Below are excerpts from some of our first encounters with him in Sinai. It was late in the evening, long past the time he normally went home, but Bezalel had stayed a little later …
Russia’s Law, Everyone’s Tragedy
On December 28, President Vladimir Putin signed into law a bill banning all adoptions of Russian orphans by Americas. The law went into effect January 1. Dr. Jane Aronson, founder of Worldwide Orphans Foundation, states these children “will be abandoned to languish and rot in ‘gulags’ in Russia. Russian orphanages are the worst in the world…” The law is a …
Genghis Khan, Softball and Seeking
This is what we call The Glare. When M steps up to the plate with The Glare, balls will fly, bases will be taken, runs will be scored. John’s gotten to where he can tell before she can how well she’ll hit the ball. He often videos her at-bats on his iPhone. One snippet we love to watch has him …
The Funniest Names I Ever Heard
About a year ago, in the car, Emma mentioned that she had mispronounced a classmate’s name that morning and the girl had become quite angry. I responded that I was surprised she was not more forgiving. “After all, in this area there are so many unusual names. It’s not like everyone is named Bill or Sally.” Suddenly, from the back …
21 Questions
People often lose their common sense when faced with an adopted baby. I have heard the most ridiculous comments. A smattering: When we brought MC home, people would hear our story and then whisper, “Are you gonna tell her she’s adopted?” I’d answer, “I’m thinking she’ll figure it out whether we do or not.” When we brought home DK and …
Ode to Delta Airlines
Flying home from the conference reminded me of bringing home MC from Kazakhstan. We were in Kaz for three weeks when we adopted her. It had been a long trip, and at one point I even panicked and thought we might end up going home without her. When we finally got to the airport, I was unbelievably relieved. John has …
Just Who Do You Belong To?
Living in a multicultural family leads to some funny moments. While John and I were both gone this weekend—a rare occurrence—Emma had to drive down and play chauffeur. Early Saturday morning, she took MC an hour away to a softball doubleheader. A few hours later, she and her boyfriend, who is first-generation Vietnamese, dropped JT off at a TKD demo, went back …
The High Cost of Unforgiveness
We visited the Smithsonian’s Museum of American History a few months ago. It happened to be the 60th anniversary of America’s decision to place Japanese-Americans in internment camps during World War II. There was a large board standing near the entrance to the exhibit with 5×7 posit-it notes and Sharpies nearby, inviting guests to share their thoughts on the decision. …
Naked Babies and Toothbrushes
I’m sitting here sobbing, having a hard time typing this. A friend of mine who is working as a missionary in Kazakhstan just sent pictures from a graduation ceremony from one of the orphanages she’s connected with. 26 kids she’s known since first grade graduated today from ninth grade. They’ll be sent to boarding schools all over the country, leave …