Lifelong Learning

Many of you continue to ask us what the latest news is or how things are going.  In the last week, we had some important appointments that went very well, procured some additional notarized documents, and we are working on the final touches for one of the grant applications.  


For our continuing preparation, we will be taking part in another adoption training class, similar to one we completed years ago.  We are looking forward to refreshing what we learned previously and applying the content to this very different path.  Although we've been at this for many years, we always feel the need to learn more.  We know that we can't possibly learn enough to ever feel really prepared.  


However, every little bit helps.  :-)  So, here are a few titles we've enjoyed and one that is a current read.


Just a Minute: In the Heart of a Child, One Moment...Can Last ForeverWes Stafford - President and CEO for Compassion International
I was fortunate to hear Mr. Stafford speak recently.  He chronicles amazing moments that have impacted children in powerful ways.


Fasten your Sweet Belt:  10 Things You Need to Know About Older Child Adoptions
Jodi Jackson Tucker with Agnes Tucker 
This was one of the "right when you need it" books.  Jodi shares her family's story in a way that provides true insight and raised our awareness to the unique needs that accompany older child adoption.  Her invaluable experiences and openness heightened our level of understanding and opened our minds to the possibilities that may arise.


Currently, I'm reading Wounded Children Healing Homes:  How Traumatized Children Impact Adoptive and Foster Families
Jayne E. Schooler, Betsy Keefer Smalley, and Timothy J. Callahan
Part One begins with the following quote:

Loving and living with a traumatized child means embracing a love like no other.  It is love lived out every day in a new and unfamiliar way.  It is commitment cemented through the challenges and struggles of uncertainty.  It is a life journey walked on unknown paths.  It is a faith, a hope, and a vision that the future will hold something far better than what you are experiencing now and perhaps ever dreamed possible.

 Just a few chapters in, and already this is a foundational read.