Empowered to Connect

Dan and I had a chance to attend the Empowered to Connect conference this month. The ETC conference encourages and equips parents with some strategies to help connect with children who come from hard places. As much as we love our children and look forward to the bright futures they have ahead, we can't ignore the fact that they have a past that may include some difficult realities.

It was so encouraging for us to come home with practical strategies for the difficult behaviors. We've noticed just in the last month a lot more cooperation, increased snuggles and connection, a decrease in periods of disregulation and physical outbursts. We still have a long way to go, but after this conference, we felt a huge burst of HOPE.

If you are an adoptive family, you probably know about Karen Purvis' book "The Connected Child." I have the book. I read the book. It was filled with great theories. But I didn't know where to go next. Then I found Dr. Purvis' videos online which took things from theory in my brain to hope in my heart.

But all of it really came together for me in these two days. If you ever have a chance to attend the conference - RUN, don't walk!

My biggest takeaway from the weekend was this:  

"Our children bled before they came into our care, they should not and shall not bleed while they are in our care." 

But a great follow-up was this:
 
"God is a restorative God. It's His natural design. We broke our relationship with Him in the beginning and He sent His son to restore us and meet us where we are. We must do the same for our children."

Easter 2015

I love our Easter traditions. Starting with a trip to the Mahoney tower to see the sunrise.

Getting ready for church.

And searching for eggs.

 

2015 Easter Preparations

Making Easter cookies - never complete without flour on the nose (and ears, and table, and floor, and...)

This is serious business

Trying a new experiment

Sharing the Easter story through Resurrection Eggs

Sweet sisters

Just Like Riding a Bike

Ah! Spring. A little girl learning to ride a tricycle. And a big sister eager to show her around the block.

What do I do with Blessings?

I'm studying the Life of Moses this year in BSF. Those Israelites. In 40 years, they just haven't learned. They keep wandering and complaining. Usually about the food.

I get it...40 years of eating nothing but manna. I suppose if I ate nothing but sushi for 40 years, I might get tired of it. I'd probably complain, too. But this manna...it was a perfect gift provided by God in a miraculous way. Day after day. It was nutritionally complete, and I'll be it tasted exquisite. After all, "Every good and perfect gift comes from above."

But the blessing of manna had become commonplace. They found fault with it. They grumbled and nagged and complained.

So the question was asked of me, "what blessing has become commonplace in your life that you take for granted?"

Ouch. You mean God's perfect gift for me? The one I see day after day?

Praying I never stop viewing this man as a blessing, and that he never becomes so commonplace to me that I don't appreciate him.

Words to Live By

This has been on my Facebook profile for awhile now, but I love the reminder it gives me that no matter what my circumstances may be, God still expects me to sing.

Good Gravy

Family legend has it that I was once caught after dinner sitting in the middle of the table, drinking the gravy straight from the bowl.

Apparently we still have some theological truths to teach in this home. Annie was belting out "Holy, Holy Holy" at the grocery store earlier this week and has changed they lyrics. Today, I bring you "Gravy, Gravy, Gravy."

As we say in the Wilson home, "Could it be genetic?"