Where I live, the rain has been coming down for days. I don’t mind summer rain. In fact, I enjoy opening the blinds on the wall of windows in my family room, lying on the couch, and watching it fall. As I was doing so this morning, a thought occurred to me. Like many things in life, rain can be a welcome site or rain can be bad news. In California, rain would be indispensable as firefighters battle deadly blazes.... Read more
In some parts of the world, the title of this blog would be taken literally. The reader would be looking for ways to bring a waterwell back to life. For most of us, it’s symbolic. We know the well is us. And what is dry is not the cool refreshing liquid we thirst for on a hot summer day, but what is within us. We feel zapped of our ambition, boldness, creativity, desire, energy…and the list could go on straight... Read more
I have learned a lot about finding joy in everyday life from my young daughter. Yesterday, she was thrilled to discover some doors on the end table. After she figured out how to open them, she would crawl in and giggle after shouting “hello” out to me. The day before, she was ecstatic when she got not one but twoof her favorite foods for snack (or “na-na” as she calls it). Last week, she turned her sweet face to the... Read more
My husband loves golf. He’s a good player too. Who knows – maybe he’ll even play on the senior group one day. Occasionally, he and I play miniature golf. I’m not even good at that. Hubby picks on me because I swap back and forth between swinging left and swinging right. Inevitably (typically early on), I mess up. I run my ball into the windmill. I miss the hole by just an inch. Sometimes I miss the ball altogether as... Read more
I couldn’t help finding out about it. After all, #GodIsAWoman was a trending hashtag on twitter. I decided to find out what this was all about and discovered it is a new song by pop singer Ariana Grande. Supposedly she has a lot of fans, but I’ll admit I’m not familiar with any of her music. And, like I did when I dared say “wow” in response to the vulgar lyrics heard in one of Beyonce’s new songs a couple... Read more
According to Lifeway, Vacation Bible School (VBS) began in 1898 and reaches 2.5 million people every year. With more than 25,000 churches participating, there were 70,000 salvations as a result of VBS in 2017 alone. VBS is an incredible opportunity to reach children for Jesus! I’ve been involved in VBS for over 30 years. When I was a little girl, we marched down the center aisle of the sanctuary, had lemonade and cookies for snack, and slid down a cardboard... Read more
I recently heard a new-ish song by Luke Bryan. I remembered him from American Idol and how it touched my heart when he teared up during the audition of a grown man singing about his love for his adoptive mom. But as I was listening to this particular song – which contains many points that I completely agree with and has a beautiful melody – I realized just how wrong this country singer got things. Here are three ways, and why... Read more
My child isn’t my adopted daughter. She’s my daughter. Adoption is just one part of her story. It’s a vital part of her story, but there is and will be so much more about her than just how she became my daughter. There will be times when it will be important for her to identify as an adopted child – much like there are various times for us to identify based on various attributes such as race and culture. I... Read more
Adoption is a place where joy and sorrow meet. While it is never born from perfect circumstances, and has its challenges, it is still beautiful and worthwhile. Becoming a mother through adoption has been life changing. Throughout the journey, I have learned a great deal about the language of adoption, and have tried to pass the newfound information along. My awareness has increased dramatically, which is why my antenna went up when a friend shared that one of her children... Read more
Trust. I used to teach my therapy clients that this is on a spectrum. For example, every time I stop at a red light, I trust that the person in the car behind mine is going to stop as well. That kind of trust is different than the trust I place in my husband. On a daily basis, we all trust people to varying extents. A dear friend of mine has told me she trusts me with her life. This... Read more
Dr. Laurel Shaler
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