A Tribute to Mom - One Heartbeat At A Time

To my daughter, TP - what you are doing is, by far, THE most important thing in the whole wide world - being a mom. KM is a beautiful little baby, and so lucky to have you as her mommy. Keep up the good work! And never lose sight of the fact that God entrusted KM into your care. I love you.

"Thankful"- Josh Groban

For the third year in a row, I am posting this beautiful song by Josh Groban. I am thankful that it is this year, and not last year when I was in so much pain on Thanksgiving Day. I am thankful to each of you who helped me get through this past year. And I am so grateful that my family is intact once again. Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours, and may God bless you!

National Adoption Month

November is National Adoption Month. As you know, adoption is an integral part of my life, as both of my girls are adopted.

In fact, right now, I am in a different state, spending time with my oldest daughter's birth mom! What an emotional experience it has been. I never expected the full impact this has had on me, and it will take awhile for me to process it and even write about it.

Suffice it to say, I am grateful for this opportunity to meet TP's birth mom and the rest of her "new" family.

But, you know, somewhere in the mix of all of this, one thing has been overlooked. And that is I feel very left out. I'm the outsider now. It's been painful for me. Yet, I know how important and wonderful and exciting it is for TP. But, why do I feel like I am losing her????

More on this later, after I get a chance to think it all through. . .

George Winston - Thanksgiving

November is the month of the Thanksgiving holiday. This piece reminds me of the greatest gifts of all - God's love, peace, comfort, and strength. I have so much for which to be thankful this year! I will write more this week of all that has been happening in my little family - but, in the meantime, I wanted to put you in the mood for this month of gratitude.

Susan Boyle ~ ''Wild Horses''

October is National Lupus Awareness Month

As usual, every October I like to draw my readers' attention to the fact that this month is National Lupus Awareness Month. My oldest daughter, who is now 21, was diagnosed with lupus nephritis when she was 16 years old. She recently gave birth to a baby daughter, and my daughter's prayer is that her daughter will not suffer from from this disease.

Please visit the Lupus Foundation of America website for further information on this insidious disease. While my daughter is now in remission, the disease can flare up again at any given moment. In fact, she is at a higher risk over the next 6 months of developing a flare due to recently giving birth, what with all of the hormonal changes her body went through as a result of the pregnancy.

If you are so inclined, the Lupus Foundation is a great organization for which to send a monetary donation. They still have yet to unlock the causes behind this mysterious disease, and progress in finding new treatments is slow, but I do know that if my daughter had been born 20 or 30 years earlier, her prognosis would be very grim. Some very famous people have died from this disease, including Flannery O'Connor, who is one of my all-time favorite writers.

On the home front, things are going very well. The baby, KM, is now over 5 pounds, and is a very good baby. TP is a great mom - very attentive and nurturing. She has gone through two hurdles in order to be accepted into nursing school in March, and is waiting on final word for the third hurdle. DQ loves her little niece and has been asked to be the godmother. My husband and I are "adjusting" to grandparenthood quite well - we enjoy having a baby around!!! I'm busy with the family and my work - and I am feeling very blessed. This is my favorite time of year. Last year at this time, I was in much pain; and right now I am in the process of healing from that pain. I have learned many lessons over the past year, and I will be writing more about that in the upcoming weeks/months. God bless you all.

Music Video When God Ran

For all prodigals out there - how awesome it is when God runs to you and welcomes you back home again.

It's a miracle!

I'm so grateful for my miracle, and I am keeping all other prodigals and their parents in my prayers. It's been two months since my prodigal return - and I am so totally grateful and blessed and thankful that she's back home, safe and sound.

Thanks to Diane Viere for posting this on her Facebook! It's a beautiful song.