Archive for August, 2009
Posted on August 31, 2009 by The Tapestry Team
“Hi, my name is Kim and I’m here to help you get your kids back.”
Those were literally the first words that Kim, a young foster mom, said to Shelley, the mother of the girls that Kim and her husband were caring for. And those words marked the beginning of a truly remarkable foster care journey.
An Exception to the Rule, from the September/October 2009 issue of Fostering Families Today magazine, points out that many of us approach foster care with a certain set of assumptions about the system, kids, birth families, social workers and on and on. From those assumptions we often form rather rigid perspectives and understandings of how things work and how situations and people will end up. In an effort for it all to make sense we arrive at what we believe is, and will most likely be, the norm — the rule if you will. And we often hold out little hope that things can and will turn out differently.
Every once in a while, however, we come across a grace-filled story that serves an exception to the rule — and it shatters what we thought we knew about foster care. These exceptions stretch and challenge us even as they cause us to consider new possibilities and ask the all-important question: “What if?”
Kim and Shelley’s story is just such an exception. Their story should cause us to re-examine our rule, consider new possibilities and ask ourselves what the foster care system might be like if we, together with thousands of others, acted as, and expected, an exception to the rule.
Posted on August 30, 2009 by The Tapestry Team
The Dallas Morning News is running a series entitled Choosing Thomas, which documents the journey of T.K. and Deidrea Laux with their son Thomas. It is incredibly emotional – not in the manipulative sense, but in a very real, raw and profoundly human sense.
Matt Dononvan, over at AdoptiveDads.org, offers some thought-provoking insights about the Laux’s story, including some parallels between their story and the experiences of many adoptive and foster families.
The Dallas Morning News series and Matt’s thoughts are both “must reads” — but be prepared to be deeply moved, challenged and inspired.
Posted on August 27, 2009 by The Tapestry Team
The Summer 2009 edition of the Tapestry Newsletter is now available. This edition features four great stories as well as information on Tapestry’s upcoming events. If you’ve got some time, you can also read through past editions of the Tapestry Newsletter as well.
Posted on August 24, 2009 by The Tapestry Team
Last week, Kevin Hendricks mentioned Peachtree Presbyterian Church in Atlanta, which is publicly stating it will care for any newborn baby brought to the church through a partnership with Bethany Christian Services. Enthusiasm and admiration for this new initiative are certainly merited because it’s great to see a church step up and put itself out there in such a tangible way. Of course, there are a lot of legal, financial and emotional challenges that can come in following through with an undertaking such as this.
On top of that, how great would it be to see churches everywhere go even farther? What about counseling and other resources for birthmothers beyond just accepting their newborns? What about training, support and financial assistance for prospective foster and adoptive families? What about support for older adoptees?
The Peachtree Presbyterian announcement is a great move, but clearly there is more for us (the Church) to do. If you have ideas, we’d love to hear them.
Posted on August 23, 2009 by The Tapestry Team
Tapestry will host its 4th annual adoption and foster care conference on Saturday, October 24. The conference runs from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm, and includes breakfast, lunch, childcare (ages 0 to 12), materials and more — all completely FREE!
As with past Tapestry conferences, this year’s conference will offer over a dozen quality breakout sessions to choose from. The sessions will be relevant to just about anyone interested in or connected to adoption or foster care.
For now, here’s what you need to know about the 2009 Tapestry Adoption & Foster Care Conference:
Based on our experience in recent years, the conference is likely to fill up fast, especially for the available childcare – so make plans to register online as soon as it open or pre-register on September 12 or 13.
In the meantime, be sure to check out our collection of online resources (audio, video and written materials) from past Tapestry conferences.
Posted on August 19, 2009 by The Tapestry Team
Nothing brings men together like red meat and trans fat, which is why the Tapestry guys get together every third Thursday night of the month at 7:00 pm at a local burger joint or a ‘hole in the wall’ establishment for good food and great conversation about adoption and whatever else is on their minds. Our next burger night will be on Thursday, August 20, at Deliman Grill on Denton Tap Road (just south of Hwy 121 in Coppell). All guys are welcome.
Posted on August 17, 2009 by The Tapestry Team
Tapestry will host Adoption: Myths and Realities on Tuesday night, August 18, from 6:30 to 8:30 pm, at Irving Bible Church (in Room West D). Childcare registration is already closed for this event, but adults do not need to pre-register — so it’s not too late to make plans to attend.
Tapestry typically offers this event a couple of times each year. It is a great opportunity for people to find reliable adoption and foster care information in a safe place where they can ask and discuss their questions and concerns. The event is designed to be particularly valuable for those who are just beginning to consider adoption or foster care, as well as for those who still have difficult, unanswered questions. During this event, Michael and Amy Monroe discuss many of the common adoption myths and contrast them with the honest realities that they have learned from their personal adoption journey and from supporting many other adoptive and foster families along the way.
Here are a few other resources dealing with some common adoption myths and realities:
- Tapestry Adoption & Foster Care Resource Guide – this guide contains a wide range of stories, articles and helpful resources, and is provided to those who attend the Adoption: Myths and Realities event. The resource guide is a great starting point for those exploring adoption as well as for those wanting to gain a deeper understanding of many of the common adoption issues and challenges.
- Myths & Realities Series from AdoptiveDads.org – a great collection stories and essays by adoptive and foster dads that deal with many of the common myths and realities from a father’s perspective.
Posted on August 15, 2009 by The Tapestry Team
As you can see, we’re just getting started so the content cupboard is pretty bare at the moment. But that will change soon. We’ll use this blog to preview upcoming events, make announcements, share helpful media and resources, and perhaps even facilitate a bit of discussion.
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Thanks for stopping by!
