Bread and Honey: A holy night

Christmas in Lalibela, Ethiopia.

BBC slide show

Smithsonian Magazine article

Welcome to my kitchen table....

...where I am kneading bread again. My first batch of kids and I used to sit down at the table each week just after the bread came out of the oven and eat through a half a loaf, slathered with butter and honey, accompanied by glasses of milk and good conversation. Now I am relearning how to parent for my three habesha children who arrived in our family in March 2009 when we arrived in theirs in Ethiopia. Life is beautiful and hard and sad and easy and good. Really good.

October 2011: Our awesome kids have really settled in and are growing in mind, body, and spirit. They are such a gift to us. I've learned so much about parenting and about being human in the 27 years since I looked into my first child's eyes. I am still learning. I welcome you to share with me what you know and where you stuggle.

And, since we are multidimensional beings, my life is more than being a parent. I'll write about everything that comes with walking the line between gratitude for the beauty of this earth and sorrow for the state of the world. My writing is my meditation, my way of returning to the present moment, my way of finding my heart again.

Learn the Truth about HIV

* HIV can NOT be spread through casual/household contact. HIV is not spread through hugging, kissing, shaking hands, sharing toys, sneezing, coughing, sharing food, sharing drinks, bathing, swimming or any other casual way. It has been proven that HIV and AIDS can only be spread through sexual contact, birth, breastfeeding and blood to blood contact (such as sharing needles).

* HIV is now considered a chronic but manageable disease. With treatment, people who are HIV+ can live indefinitely without developing AIDS and can live long and full lives.

* People who are HIV+ deserve to be treated with love, respect, support and acceptance as all people do.

* Additional information on transmission of HIV can be found on the Center for Disease Control website.

Our Adoption Process Timeline

Married 8/19/05
We started talking adoption even before that!
But, we had to wait.
AAI application in 11/6/07
Found DeeDee (our SW) 12/07
AFS application in 4/10/08
First HS visit 4/30/08
Second HS visit 5/16/08
USCIS fingerprints 5/23/08
Third HS visit 5/23/08
Homestudy Approved! 8/13/08
Dossier to AAI 8/28/08
Received referral! 9/8/08
We are getting ready for Blessings, Shining Light, and Breath, three bike-ready third-graders!
Rec'd I171H 10/10/08
From MOWA to court in late Oct
Rec'd court date Jan 16!! 12/7/08
Did not pass 1/16/09
New court date 3/5/09
PASSED COURT! 3/5/09
Met Our Kids! 3/28/09

Bread and Honey

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

A holy night

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Addis Ababa