Shown Mercy

Parenting children from broken pasts can have moments of great joy, as well as moments of great heartache.  Sunday afternoon lunch was one of those latter experiences.  While Tony hurried with two of our crew in tow for a soccer game immediately following church, I took our other three home with a 12-pack taco box in hand from Taco Bell.  As the four of us sat around the kitchen table talking, my youngest daughter starting crying seemingly out of the blue.  She began to share that it bothers her when her classmates repeatedly ask her if she is adopted.  As she recounted what those times tend to look like around the school cafeteria table, she then blurted out, "I mean, what kind of mom just gives her child away?!."   My oldest son, who remembers quite a bit from his first nine years of life in Ukraine, responded quickly, patiently and kindly, "She didn't give us away.  She just couldn't take care of us.  We were taken away because of that."  He also int

This morning on my hour drive to take James to school I listened to the story behind the song, "Buried in the Grave."  As an occasional songwriter, I know there are always stories behind each song and therefore love hearing those stories.   All Sons & Daughters wrote this about what the Saturday between Jesus' death (Friday) and resurrection (Sunday) must have been like for the followers of Christ... grief... confusion... waiting... holding on to what they'd been taught... trying to make sense of things... hoping... waiting.... followed by the joy of resurrection, reconciliation, redemption accomplished through the cross of Christ... What a beautiful song and reminder to "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.  In all you ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths." Proverbs 3:5-6 "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called accor