Seven “Rs” of the Adoption Journey
When the adoption journey is long how do you go about surviving the wait? From the author of Nine Year Pregnancy.
You are Not a Mistake
“God doesn’t make mistakes. He has a particular place in mind for each and every one of us,” says Jen Bricker, author of Everything is Possible. Whether you are adopted or have adopted or simply have challenges in your life, you will be motivated and inspired by Jen’s book.
Fear or Faith
In the movie Beauty and the Beast, Belle must overcome her fear of the beast in order to not only free her father but to also set the Beast free. In life, sometimes the beasts we face are our own fears, such as the fears of failure, pain, suffering, death, heartache, disappointment, or closed doors.
Heart for the Homeland
A heart for the homeland for Valentine’s Day. What age is a good age for an international adoptee to visit his or her homeland? What things should be done to prepare? What places should be visited? What expectations should you have?
Blessed to be a Blessing
I have learned that both the struggles (or afflictions) and the joys and blessings of this life come so that I can bless, comfort, and encourage others.
Do Not Give Up
Praying, waiting, not giving up…how do we persevere when the answer is wait or not now?
Cast Your Love
“Cast your bread upon the waters, for after many days you will find it again.” Ecclesiastes 11:1 This verse reminds me of the need to keep pouring love into our children. The love we pour in will eventually pour out on others and come back to us as well.
A Physical and Emotional Miscarriage
A friend of mine faced a failed adoption. She had not only seen pictures of her child, but she had held her in her arms, smelled her, cuddled her, rocked her. What she experienced emotionally could easily be compared to the grief faced in a mid-to-late term miscarriage. Recently, my newest grandson was born at 20 weeks, lived 34 minutes, then died. I understand grief and loss.
Moody Mondays
On days and weeks when the waiting seems unbearable, times when adoption seems like an unreachable obsession, on rainy days and Mondays — some real things you can do to find the hope and strength to hang on.
No One Ever Said This
“I can’t wait to be paper pregnant for nine years!” — said no adoptive parent ever. But the process of waiting may just be a very important part of the journey.
Surrendering
Clay Crosse and his wife Renee are no strangers to adoption. During our nearly decade-long journey of adoption, I faced a period of time of needing to surrender my desire for a daughter to the Lord.
Seeing Red?
Is the red tape of the adoption process making you wait? Sometimes hearing about how others survived the red tape provides strength for the journey.
Mother’s Day: Time to Dance, Time to Grieve
Mother’s Day often arrives packed with emotion. Our little princess breathes new meaning of Mother’s Day into our lives. On this special dayPrincess in waiting each year, I must recognize my daughter has a need I can never fill.
4 Tips for Surviving Long Journeys
When your journey is long or challenging or full of obstacles, what is the Velcro in your life that helps you hang on and not give up? Here are 4 tips for surviving long journeys (adoption or otherwise).
Joy: enduring the night
Joy is greatest when it follows the toughest trials. For a decade I prayed and cried over this verse: “Weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning.” Psalm 30:5. I asked God when the night would be over and the morning come.
Have My Heart
Christmas, adoption, and George Dennehy’s song “Have My Heart.” Christmas and adoption kind of go hand-in-hand.
Never Quit
The Psalmists just told God exactly how they were feeling. The good, the bad, the ugly. Then, they turned around and praised God through all of it.
Media Kit
Media kit for Delana H. Stewart and Nine Year Pregnancy: Waiting on God–Our Journey of Adoption — published by CrossBooks Christian Publishing Company, a division of LifeWay.
Enlarged in the Waiting
“Waiting does not diminish us…but the longer we wait, the larger we become…the more joyful our expectancy.” Romans 8 — Read on for stories, poems, encouragement and hope during the wait…
Sure of What We Do Not See
What are you sure of that you do not see? “When the rainbow is delayed and it seems the rain has stayed…”
Heart for Adoption
I have created this Heart for Adoption Award for the purpose of encouraging and blessing bloggers who have a heart for adoption, and use their blogs as a way to encourage and bless others on their adoption journeys. It is an award not only for adoptive parents, but also for adoptees. The first people I would like to honor with this award are:
The Locket
“Valentine’s Day came and one of the most special Valentine’s of all—an e-mail from Sadie with a picture of the little girl and more information. Sweet and spicy! From that moment, I began to carry her picture in a silver heart locket…
Unique Adoption Journal
My Paper Pregnancy Journal: A place for you to tell your adoption story with insights to guide you on your journey has arrived in time for you to bless a friend, family member, or yourself for the upcoming holiday. Telling your adoption story is an important part of the journey. And here is a book to help you do just that!
With prompts, quotes, inspiration, and lined pages all in one place to write about your adoption journey,
Don’t Give Up Yet, ‘Cause Victory Often Comes at the Moment You are Ready to Throw in the Towel
If you have been waiting on God to answer a prayer in your life, then this is for you. Your request and mine might be similar or might be very different, but the principle is the same. For me, I had been praying, waiting, hoping, and believing…
Rest in the Hand
Tucked away within the pages of Nine Year Pregnancy, woven between the lines of the story, lies a poem about rest.
Nine Year Pregnancy 