Author * Speaker
(I’m doing a series on how we came to adopt two older children from foster care. It was so easy! Okay, that’s a fib. It’s not easy at all. But it’s the good kind of not-easy; the kind that’s totally worth it.) *** After the application comes THE WAIT. The first wait, that is. There will […]
Read More(Happy Monday! I ADORE Mondays now that we have kids. Turns out they’re not the only ones who crave structure :) So they’re at school, I’ve walked THIS DOG around our neighborhood to “Secure the Perimeter,” and now I’m here to continue our story of adopting two older siblings from foster care, hoping it will inspire you to […]
Read More(I’m retelling our story of adopting older children from foster care in the blatant hope that you will do the same. You can read about how this began here and here.) *** At the introductory meeting with the adoption coordinator, your guard is up SO VERY HIGH, you can barely hear what she says. On […]
Read MoreAs I mentioned yesterday, this post from Humans of New York inspired me to share about our road to The Cherubs. I think it’s an interesting trip, whether you’re considering adopting or not. I think you should. So I’ll write as if this is your experience, and every one of your thoughts, fears, hopes & reactions […]
Read MoreTHIS, from Humans of New York. “I met my mom when I was 14. I’d been abused so much at that point, the only thing I could think to ask was, ‘Are you good?’” Just. Wow. I am sitting here in my living room reading this, hiding my tears as #2 Cherub pets THIS DOG. […]
Read MoreI am such a fan of this book. It’s shot through with inspiring stories and great points, and stands head & shoulders about other books I’ve read with similar themes. I appreciate how the author defines “leading by the heart” in terms of deep caring, sacrifice, and wise encouragement (rather than the traditional model of […]
Read MoreOnce Steve & I met The Cherubs, we began thinking about how to teach them about faith. About Jesus, specifically, and the Bible, and why these things matter so much to us that we’ve built our lives around them. The first step, we thought, was to find a church, one that would (hopefully) become a […]
Read MoreA few years ago, as I cast about for a writing project that was less, well…ridiculously intense & personal than spilling my soul in a memoir, I started a series of essays about the Fruit of the Spirit – the benefits package the Bible promises to anyone who opts in to Jesus’ offer of a […]
Read MoreI am SO FRUSTRATED. This is going to sound like a rant, but really, it’s a cry for help. Or sympathy. Or knowing looks across the internet. Something. Okay, no…it’s a rant. I should just own that. Here we go. What the #$%^$ is the deal with school? Let me tell you about this week. […]
Read MoreI wrote about losing Princess Peach this weekend. It was excruciating. A friend told me recently that she’s been pondering the word “debridement” (the scouring exfoliation done to patients who’ve been severely burned), and afterwords I realized that this is exactly what it felt like: Taking a rough brush to the places I’d been burned. […]
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Trish Ryan 