Red's Wrap
Happiness. It's relative.
Tag: adoption
Adoption Dreams
The depressing thing about adoption is that it doesn’t always turn out the way we hoped. The amazing thing about adoption is that sometimes it does. For parents who start out with a script, a fixed picture in their heads of what they and… Continue Reading “Adoption Dreams”
#10/100: My Favorite Mistake
My favorite mistake is sleeping on the couch wearing a pair of khaki shorts and a Milwaukee Brewers sweatshirt. When I tell people that we’d only known each other a few months when we married 30 years ago, deciding on one Tuesday to get… Continue Reading “#10/100: My Favorite Mistake”
#8/100: Who are Your People?
I know many adopted people and adoptive parents and I’ve never heard a single one talk about birth fathers. Birth mothers, yes. The getting abandoned scenario is a very rough movie and it always stars a woman, usually portrayed as poor and faced with… Continue Reading “#8/100: Who are Your People?”
Don’t Leave Me
His eyes peeking around the crib slats bore a hole through her that she packed with ice, his thin arms reaching, a kick of one foot, enough to worm a yes from her. __________________ Another 33-word challenge from the Trifecta folks, this one to… Continue Reading “Don’t Leave Me”
My Day
I am on the shore of Lake Superior in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and this was my day. I watched a deer leap and leap and leap down to the beach where the water has formed a frozen shelf that is so large and hilly that… Continue Reading “My Day”
Thinking about Adoption? Ten Things to Ponder
It’s that time of year when many people start thinking about adoption. The holidays, families coming together, often are the impetus for serious discussions about adoption. Frankly, sometimes I wonder why everybody doesn’t adopt children. Other times, I wonder why anyone would. I’m not ambivalent, just multi-faceted.… Continue Reading “Thinking about Adoption? Ten Things to Ponder”
Resting Place
I had what very few mothers have. A No Judge Zone. It seems these days as if being a mother has become a competitive sport. One is loathe to raise a worry or admit a failure for fear of stirring a storm of suggestions… Continue Reading “Resting Place”
Don’t Be a Wimp: Finding the Courage to Adopt
She’s wondering whether she can ride the pony. Other kids are on ponies and they seem ok. But that doesn’t mean it would work for her. She’s thinking that the pony could bite. Or run away. And that she might have to start crying. Doesn’t matter… Continue Reading “Don’t Be a Wimp: Finding the Courage to Adopt”
You Looking at Me?
Multi-racial/ethnic families turn heads. That’s for sure. I think looking – heck, staring – is mostly an involuntary thing for people – sort of like seeing a double amputee or a person with a million tattoos. You don’t want to look. You don’t intend to look. … Continue Reading “You Looking at Me?”
Snow Door | wisconsinacademy.org
Listen to Jan read her essay “Billy” presented on WUWM’s Lake Effect
Jan’s essay “At the Breakfast Bar” on WUWM Lake Effect
Jan’s essay “The Parish Hall,” on WUWM Lake Effect
“Fury Cannot Touch Me,” Modern Love, NYT, 9/29/11
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