Adoption

My family visited Parkview Christian Church's Christmas Eve service on Saturday night (yes, I know that is not Christmas Eve). One of the stories really touched my heart as an adopt-ee and adopt-or. It is also posted on Pastor Tim's blog.

One woman wrote - When I was five, my biological father committed suicide. It
left me feeling as though I'd done something wrong; that if I had been better
somehow, maybe he'd have stayed around. My mother remarried shortly thereafter,
and this man was my dad until I was nineteen. I called him Dad and used his name
all through school. But, when he and my mother divorced, he just walked away.
Once again, I wondered what was wrong with me that I couldn't keep a father.
Mother remarried again, and Bob was a wonderful, kind man. I was twenty
now and no longer living at home, but I felt a great love and attachment for
him. A few years later my mother was diagnosed with cancer and was not
given long to live. Shortly before she died, Bob came over to my house alone one
day. We talked about a lot of things, and then he told me that he wanted me to
know that he'd always be there for me, even after Mother was gone. Then he asked
if he could adopt me. I could hardly believe my ears. Tears streamed down
my face. He wanted me - me! This man had no obligation to me, but he was
reaching out from his heart, and I accepted. During the adoption
proceedings, the judge commented on all the undesirable duties of his profession
and then with a tear in his eye, thanked us for brightening his day as
he pronounced us father and daughter. I was twenty-five, but I was his
little girl.

Of course this is an incredibly painful story for me - I will never be anyone's little girl here on earth. But it was also an incredible reminder that I am God's little girl. In fact, Christmas is all about him adopting me (and you). He sent Jesus to build the bridge between me and him - even though I don't deserve it. Love truly came down at Christmas - to sign my adoption certificate!

10 Years Ago...

I was reading one of my high school friends' blog tonight. She had one of those "5 Things About Me" posts that listed random things about her under various categories. One of them was "Ten Years Ago." It really got me thinking - so much changes in 10 short years.

10 Years Ago I...

1. Was a Sr. in High School
2. Drove an 89 Grand Prix named Rudy
3. Wasn't playing basketball for the first time in 5 years
4. Swore I would never live outside the state of Iowa
5. Was college shopping and filling out scholarship applications
6. Swore allegiance to Chevrolet
7. Wore jeans everyday!!
8. Had long hair that almost reached my jeans
9. Had a locker by Brett Schoemacher, whom I regularly celebrated "boot day" with
10. Was struggling through Pre-Calc, Chemistry, and Econ.

What were you doing 10 years ago???

Adoption Month

November is National Adoption Month. Good old President Gerald Ford proclaimed this national holiday back in 1990. The emphasis for the month is on children currently in foster care - in the hopes more of them would be adopted.

My heart goes out to all of you in the process of adopting (especially from foster care)! Enjoy your month!

Strengths

A couple months ago I took a test called Strengths Finder 2.0 at work. Recently many of my co-workers did as part of their yearly performance evaluations. I has been a lot of fun to see the results.

The premis of the test is that we spend so much of our time and energy trying to improve our weaknesses that we don't take the time to cultivate our strengths. Research has shown that any improvements we make on our weaknesses will be minimal anyhow - why not focus on what you're good at?

Here's my Top 5 and a paraphrase of the book's description:

1. Learner - simply stated, I love to learn! I am energized by the "steady and deliberate journey from ignorance to competence."
2. Input - I am inquisitive and like to collect useless facts, quotes, and books (among other things) - Who knows, someday they may come in handy!
3. Ideation - I am facinated with ideas. I love to connect complex ideas in a simple format.
4. Intellection - I love mental activity. I enjoy time alone for reflection and thought.
5. Command - I'm a "take charge" kind of person and I don't mind sharing my thought and opinions with others.

Sound about right? I think so!

Last night we purchased the book for Garrett to take the test. The weather knocked out our internet, so he was unable to complete it. I did make a few predictions, though (in no particular order)

• Adaptability - live for the moment, flexible with life's sudden changes
• Competition - likes contests, especially when he has the "inside track to be the winner"
• Includer - wants to include other people and integrate them into his "circle"
• Woo (Winning Others Over) - he enjoys the challenge of meeting new people and getting them to like him.
• Strategic - sees patterns and connections where others see complexity

I'll let you know how close I am!!