Download or read book Finding Hope A Birthmother s Journey Into the Light written by Hope O. Baker and published by . This book was released on 2019-10-29 with total page 158 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: At twenty-one years old, Hope O Baker made one of the hardest decisions a person can make: she placed her son for adoption. She lived with her son's adoptive mother while she was pregnant and pursued an open adoption. After her son was born, Hope tried to resume her life. But the difficulty of letting her child go gnawed at Hope. Even though she had it together on the outside--graduating college and excelling in her career--on the inside she was battling a destructive cycle of depression and addiction. When life was at its darkest, Hope managed to find her way back to the light. It's a journey she continues to this day. Now, in this love letter to her son, Hope shows how messy and chaotically beautiful adoption can be, by sharing the authentic details of her remarkable story. From her struggles, you'll see how community can help you rebuild and be reminded of how important it is to find your voice and speak up for what you need when life hands you unexpected difficulties.
Download or read book God and Jetfire written by Amy Seek and published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux. This book was released on 2015-07-14 with total page 353 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A searching, eloquent memoir about the joys and hardships of open adoption God and Jetfire is a mother's account of her decision to surrender her son in an open adoption and of their relationship over the twelve years that follow. Facing an unplanned pregnancy at twenty-two, Amy Seek and her ex-boyfriend begin an exhaustive search for a family to raise their child. They sift through hundreds of "Dear Birth Mother" letters, craft an extensive questionnaire, and interview numerous potential couples. Despite the immutability of the surrender, it does little to diminish Seek's newfound feelings of motherhood. Once an ambitious architecture student, she struggles to reconcile her sadness with the hope that she's done the best for her son, a struggle complicated by her continued, active presence in his life. For decades, closed adoptions were commonplace. Now, new laws are guaranteeing adoptees' access to birth records, and open adoption is on the rise. God and Jetfire is the rare memoir that explores the intricate dynamics and exceptional commitment of an open-adoption relationship from the perspective of a birth mother searching for her place within it. Written with literary poise and distinction, God and Jetfire is a story of a life divided between grief and gratitude, regret and joy. It is an elegy for a lost motherhood, a celebration of a family gained, and an apology to a beloved son.
Download or read book A Light in the Darkness written by Jane Spencer and published by RWG Publishing. This book was released on with total page 57 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "A Light in the Darkness: Finding Hope Amidst Despair" is a thought-provoking and emotional novel that explores the themes of resilience, perseverance, and hope in the face of adversity. The book tells the story of a protagonist who is struggling to find meaning in a world that seems consumed by darkness and despair. Despite the many challenges they face, they are determined to find a ray of light in the distance and never give up hope. As they journey through the pages of this book, readers will witness the protagonist's battles with their inner demons and their fight for survival as they navigate the ups and downs of life. They will also see the protagonist's growth as they find the strength to overcome their fears, the beauty in the darkness, and the courage to change their lives for the better. Throughout the story, the protagonist learns the importance of community, the power of perseverance, and the need to rise above the ashes in order to find a new beginning. They discover the path to healing and the light of self-discovery, and as the book comes to a close, readers are left with a sense of hope and inspiration. This book is written with a compelling narrative that is both heart-warming and thought-provoking. The author has masterfully woven together the themes of hope, perseverance, and the human spirit to create a work of literature that will resonate with readers long after they have put the book down. Whether you are facing your own struggles or simply looking for a source of inspiration, "A Light in the Darkness: Finding Hope Amidst Despair" is a must-read for anyone who is searching for hope and meaning in a world that often seems consumed by darkness.
Download or read book Losing Hope Finding Hope written by Joy T Emerson and published by Independently Published. This book was released on 2023-02-09 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Two miscarriages. A subsequent premature live birth, a painful loss. Another high-risk, anxiety-ridden pregnancy. A bereaved mother's provokingly encouraging journey of restoration to wholeness. Engaging, evocative, and expressive, Losing Hope, Finding Hope follows a young woman's complicated grieving journey into motherhood. From coping with paralysing disappointment, self-condemnation and loneliness, to questioning every belief she ever held, into the wondrous discovery of redemption and a Covenant ensuring a glorious present and future that is freely hers. Finding Hope vividly captures among other things, the guilt, fear, depression, and PTSD accompanying the isolation of prolonged grief after repeated pregnancy losses. This, in addition to the living hope, peace, grace and possibilities that only this long, quiet season can inspire. At the heart of this chronicle is the author's Great Unlearning - a stripping away of unhelpful myths, worthless values, and man-man religion. Essentially, a gracious ushering into the only truth that has stood the test of time: God is real: He will never leave, nor forsake us. Blending memoir and blistering social observations, the author recalls former desperate attempts at healing the injustice of recurrent (pregnancy) losses through false Word of Faith and New Age-inspired cult-like self-help methods, and melodramatic bargains with a 'God' fashioned in her own image over a lifetime. Offering an honest and, at times, hilarious critique of burdensome modern cultural and religious forces, Emerson attests that viewing ourselves as never-ending self-improvement projects undoubtedly precipitates failure and unspeakable strife. Emerson takes a good, hard look at the dark side of self-trust and self-compassion as they relate to modern iterations of faith in God. And how she eventually exploited an unanticipated period of rest to repudiate the encroaching misguided dogma of wellness and prosperity cultural expectations placed upon grieving parents, eventually finding Hope Himself, Jesus, and being transformed. Finding Hope empowers the reader to move beyond the initial shock and traumatic loss of control, and appreciate what taking time to get back on your feet, protecting yourself from hurtful situations and reconnecting with your body and loved ones can be. Ultimately, it releases us to re-evaluate influences that exhaust, instead of free us. And, accordingly, motivates us to yield all we believe we are to the One who created us, knowing He'll restore our brokenness and reconstitute a new identity, dreams and realities that honour Him - all of which we would have never conjured up for ourselves. Finding Hope is part memoir, part devotional, part resource for coping with the psychological, spiritual and social impacts of losing your child. It's a revelation that you don't need to live in fear for future pregnancies or perpetually exist oppressed by the lie that you have failed as a mother (or father) or worse, that you're being punished by a cruel, tyrant God. It demonstrates what faith in God is and isn't, and reveals the abundant, restorative healing power that comes when we rest and fully surrender our brokenness and emptiness to Him.
Download or read book Twice a Daughter written by Julie Ryan McGue and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2021-05-11 with total page 286 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Julie is adopted. She is also a twin. Because their adoption was closed, she and her sister lack both a health history and their adoption papers—which becomes an issue for Julie when, at forty-eight years old, she finds herself facing several serious health issues. To launch the probe into her closed adoption, Julie first needs the support of her sister. The twins talk things over, and make a pact: Julie will approach their adoptive parents for the adoption paperwork and investigate search options, and the sisters will split the costs involved in locating their birth relatives. But their adoptive parents aren’t happy that their daughters want to locate their birth parents—and that is only the first of many obstacles Julie will come up against as she digs into her background. Julie’s search for her birth relatives spans eight years and involves a search agency, a PI, a confidential intermediary, a judge, an adoption agency, a social worker, and a genealogist. By journey’s end, what began as a simple desire for a family medical history has evolved into a complicated quest—one that unearths secrets, lies, and family members that are literally right next door.
Download or read book Finding Hope in the Journey written by Heidi Tucker and published by Hudson Printing Company. This book was released on 2016-02-18 with total page 150 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the midst of suffering and trials in life, we can feel lost ... abandoned. Life's unexpected twists and turns cause us to focus inward. Shut down and just survive. But there is hope. Finding Hope in the Journey is written for anyone who has felt despair, yet yearns for assurance. Experience with depression, chronic pain, a son returning home early from a mission and other difficult journeys gave author Heidi Tucker reason to lose faith. But through her struggles she found healthy patterns which positioned her heart to see God's hand in her life. Finding Hope in the Journey teaches us how to see, hear and feel those quiet, tender moments of hope. The friendly style of writing is easy to embrace as principles are taught and reinforced through true stories. This book will inspire you to rise up and find new strength, courage and determination to move forward as you implement tools to recognize messages of hope from God.
Download or read book The Primal Wound written by Nancy Newton Verrier and published by British Association for Adoption and Fostering (Ba. This book was released on 2009 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Originally published in 1993, this classic piece of literature on adoption has revolutionised the way people think about adopted children. Nancy Verrier examines the life-long consequences of the 'primal wound' - the wound that is caused when a child is separated from its mother - for adopted people. Her argument is supported by thorough research in pre- and perinatal psychology, attachment, bonding and the effects of loss.
Download or read book Searching for Mom written by Sara Easterly and published by . This book was released on 2019-11-19 with total page 318 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Sara Easterly spent a lifetime looking for the perfect mother. As an adoptee she had difficulties attaching to her mother and struggled with perfectionism, suicidal ideations, and fantasy mothers. When she became a mom, her search to find and become "the perfect mother" intensified ... until her mother's death launched a spiritual epiphany.
Download or read book Growing Up Again written by Jean Illsley Clarke and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2009-07-31 with total page 343 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Growing Up Again offers guidance on providing children with the structure and nurturing that are so critical to their healthy development -- and to our own. As time-tested as it is timely, the expert advice in Growing Up Again Second Edition has helped thousands of readers improve on their parenting practices. Now, substantially revised and expanded, Growing Up Again offers further guidance on providing children with the structure and nurturing that are so critical to their healthy development -- and to our own. Jean Illsley Clarke and Connie Dawson provide the information every adult caring for children should know -- about ages and stages of development, ways to nurture our children and ourselves, and tools for personal and family growth. This new edition also addresses the special demands of parenting adopted children and the problem of overindulgence; a recognition and exploration of prenatal life and our final days as unique life stages; new examples of nurturing, structuring, and discounting, as well as concise ways to identify them; help for handling parenting conflicts in blended families, and guidelines on supporting children's spiritual growth.About the Authors:Jean Illsley Clarke is a parent educator, teacher trainer, the author of Self-Esteem: A Family Affair, and co-author of the Help! for Parents series. She is a popular international lecturer and workshop presenter on the topics of self-esteem, parenting, family dynamics, and adult children of alcoholics. Clarke resides in Plymouth, Minnesota.Connie Dawson is a consultant and lecturer who works with adults who work with kids. A former teacher, she trains youth workers to identify and help young people who are at risk. Dawson lives in Evergreen, Colorado.
Download or read book Finding Fernanda written by Erin Siegal and published by Beacon Press. This book was released on 2012-05-15 with total page 313 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The dramatic story of how an American housewife discovered that the Guatemalan child she was about to adopt had been stolen from her birth mother Over the last decade, nearly 200,000 children have been adopted into the United States, 25,000 of whom came from Guatemala. Finding Fernanda, a dramatic true story paired with investigative reporting, tells the side-by-side tales of an American woman who adopted a two-year-old girl from Guatemala and the birth mother whose two children were stolen from her. Each woman gradually comes to realize her role in what was one of Guatemala’s most profitable black-market industries: the buying and selling of children for international adoption. Finding Fernanda is an overdue, unprecedented look at adoption corruption—and a poignant, riveting human story about the power of hope, faith, and determination.
Download or read book Reaching Out written by Nelson Handel and published by Easternedge Press. This book was released on 2002-08 with total page 182 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Based on extensive interviews with social workers, adoption attorneys, agency personnel, and birthparents, REACHING OUT helps potential adoptive parents pursuing open adoption to craft and original, authentic, and effective Dear Birthmother Letter, aka Family Profile. "A wonderful resource for prospective Adoptive parents...I would recommend it to everyone who is having difficulty writing that important letter of introduction"-Kathleen Silber, author, 'Dear Birthmother" "REACHING OUT accomplishes all it sets out to do, and a good measure more. It should quickly find its way into the established canon of domestic adoption literature."-ASRM Mental Health Professional Group newsletter. "REACHING OUT takes much of the mystery out of writing a powerful and effective letter in a positive and enjoyable fashion. I will be recommending this book to my clients."-Douglas Donnelly, Attorney-at-Law, former president , Academy of California Adoption Lawyers
Download or read book Whispering of the Light written by Paveena Posang M.D. and published by Balboa Press. This book was released on 2022-05-18 with total page 130 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Whispering of the Light is the inspirational story of Dr. Paveena Posang’s life. Her life is divinely guided and full of faith, hope, courage, perseverance, healing, adventure, and magic. She lived through difficult experiences to gain soul strength. She was poor, homeless, and lost her father at age three when her parents divorced. She became a sad child who was saved by the healing Angel’s Light given to her by her Great Uncle, a healer in Thailand. There were times when her young life was protected from being attacked by big dogs or kidnapped by a man. She had to walk to school through rice fields, make her own toys, walk miles to a library just to read books, and hand pump water from the ground to use daily. The heartbreak of her first love almost took her life. Her sudden severe illness in college was miraculously healed. She put herself through school until finishing medical school. She was awakened to her life’s mission by her divine team while serving in the United States Air Force. She is following her life’s path to bring Angel’s Light, wisdom, love and hope to the world.
Download or read book Between the Lines written by Jodi Picoult and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2013-06-25 with total page 384 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Told in their separate voices, sixteen-year-old Prince Oliver, who wants to break free of his fairy-tale existence, and fifteen-year-old Delilah, a loner obsessed with Prince Oliver and the book in which he exists, work together to seek his freedom.
Download or read book Psychoanalytic Perspectives on Illegitimacy Adoption and Reproduction Technology written by Prophecy Coles and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2020-06-07 with total page 221 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this book, Prophecy Coles traces the existential history of the unwanted child with particular attention to the illegitimate child, linking myth, literature and clinical practice in the historical and legal context of adoption. From the time of the Reformation in the sixteenth century until the early twentieth century the lives of such children were short-lived. The Adoption Act of 1926 did much to change the moral climate and the fate of the illegitimate child. It provided the child with a legal family and a name. There follows some unexpected difficulties that emerged after World War Two. Adopted children did not necessarily thrive, and young mothers who had been forced to give up a child born out of wedlock revealed their suffering. The sealed records of the illegitimate child’s origins became an issue. Attachment theory and the development of neuroscience underpin the theoretical approach of this book. Today, the children who are available for adoption are older and may be distressed by several years in care. Fundamental to helping these adopted children and their families there needs to be a multi-disciplined therapeutic approach to try and mitigate the damage that has often been done to the early infant brain through trauma. This book brings to life some of the adoption issues through the study of personal memoirs. Each chapter considers adoption from a different angle: the adopted child, the birth mother, the birth father, foster parents and adopting parents. The final chapter discusses some of the problems around adoption that have arisen again with reproductive technology and surrogate mothering. This book will be of interest to all those who have been involved in or affected by adoption. It will be of special interest to those adopting parents who have not been properly prepared or supported in their magnificent work of taking on some of the most troubled children in our society.
Download or read book Between Light and Shadow written by Jacob R. Wheeler and published by U of Nebraska Press. This book was released on 2011-01-01 with total page 223 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An investigation into the Guatemalan adoption industry and its relationship to the United States examining the experience and politics of a new industry shrouded in secrecy.
Download or read book The Lucky Few written by Heather Avis and published by Zondervan. This book was released on 2017-03-21 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When life looks radically different than the plan we have for ourselves, it's the lucky few that recognize God's plan is best. That's what adoptive mom Heather Avis learned, and that's the invitation of this book. As the mother of three adopted children - two with Down syndrome - Heather Avis has learned that it's truly the lucky few who get to live a life like hers, who actually recognize that God's plans are best, even when they seem so radically different from the plans we have for ourselves. When Heather started her journey into parenthood she never thought it would look like this, never planned to have three adopted children, and certainly never imagined that two of them would have Down syndrome. But like most things God does, once she stepped into the craziness and confusion that comes with the unknown and the unplanned, she realized that they were indeed among the lucky few. Discover in this book what 70,000+ followers of Heather's hit Instagram account @macymakesmyday already know: the power of faith and family can help us stay strong in the toughest times. This book will also be especially touching to those with adopted family members or children with Down syndrome in their lives.
Download or read book Who Am I Really written by Damon Davis and published by . This book was released on 2019-04-20 with total page 208 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Who Am I Really?" is a question many adoptees ask when they realize they have another family of genetic relation. Damon L. Davis shares his journey through life as an adoptee to becoming an adoptive parent himself. He explores his desire to find his birth family as sparked by the flood of emotions that accompanied the birth of his son, Seth -- the first blood relative he had ever known. In his story, you'll follow his introspection when considering a search for his birth family, while coping with the heartbreak of his adoptive mother's mental illness. Within months of taking his post in the Obama Administration in 2009, Damon found his birth mother working only two blocks away and years later, his real birth father's identity was revealed unexpectedly on AncestryDNA. You'll be amazed by the coincidences that brought Damon face to face with his birth mother in a tearful, yet joyous, reunion. And your heart will be warmed by the acceptance of his birth father who didn't even know he existed.
