You Lucky Dogs
The other morning I was doing my cursory search for anything new on the subjects I tend to write about; e.g. adoption, parenting, special needs, etc. My search revealed an article from…
Family Blog
Stories, essays, and notes
My Valentine
Twenty-six years ago I was engaged to one of the most beautiful girls I had ever known. It was no secret she was out of my league. In fact, the only reason…
10k Salsa
Annie and Sarah making 10k Salsa Sound expensive? Years ago John brought home a salsa recipe from the wife of one his distributors in Texas. Later the distributor went out of business…
Rainbows and Unicorns Should Erase Adoption Scars
There really is a beautiful and almost magical side to our adoption stories. We wanted our daughters badly. Our sons wanted little sisters, too. We painted bedrooms and bought new clothes. We…
Russia is not Always as Cold as we Think
As Seen in Huffington Post: If Sochi is cold enough for Winter Olympic snow events, it’s barely cold enough. In fact, the city is more known for subtropical beach getaways than winter…
What to do When Your Team Loses the Super Bowl
As Seen in Huffington Post Jack has his share of challenges. His life began by being born with Down syndrome, to a fourteen year old mother who knew that she wasn’t ready…
When Denney Learned the Truth
As Seen on Adoption.net “Get him a stress ball!” they said. “It will help him!” they said. My son, Denney was ten when he finally mustered the courage to ask us how…
A Child is Even More Tired of Waiting for You
My wife, Amy and I had three sons biologically before her childbearing days were over. We had always dreamed of having daughters to go along with our sons, and we weren’t ready…
Is Adoption Better or Worse Than a Real Family?
As Seen In Huffington Post Okay, I admit it. It was a trick question. What is the fixation with the word “real?” Who are the “real” parents; first parents, or adoptive parents?…
You Can Lead a Horse to Water
I was talking with a wise religious leader once when I used that worn out cliché, talking about someone who refused to conform. “No,” he admitted, “you can’t make him drink.” Then…
Whoosh! There Went my New Year's Resolution.
Jack and Emily Simmons The road to hell, good intentions… blah blah blah. I had a lot of things I needed maintain, even get ahead on over the next several months because…
Never Give up Hope
(As Seen on Adoption.net) Never give up hope. But when you do give up hope, never give up trying. Emily was our challenge. We knew she would be from the day that…