A year or two into reunion, my son was having a troublesome time in his life. I don't think I ever told him this, but I once said a prayer for my him in one of the most scared and holy spots in the world. At Notre Dame in Paris, I lit a candle, knelt down and said a prayer for my son. It must have worked -life is good for him these days.

My co-blogger Jenna posed the question as to what religion means in our lives. I have joked that reunion brought me to my knees figuratively and literally. During early reunion, I needed... more

Well, I did it. I talked to my Pastor about the fact that I am a birth mother, our adoption, openness and my passion for helping support young mothers and families. I didn't do it in person as I had originally intended in my head and heart. However, a lot can be said during a good phone conversation.

It helped that I had some other things to talk about before I broached the subject. I needed to ask a question about reimbursement for a new project that I've taken on regarding families in our church. After that was over,... more

Some of my earliest memories are of my Mother praying with me before I went to sleep each night. She would pray for the Lord to watch over me as I slept. She would pray that I would be safe. She would pray over any current issues or ailments. What I most remember, however, is how my Mother used to pray that I would "grow up to be the woman that God wanted me to be."

I nightly pray that prayer for the Munchkin.

For me, not her everyday mother, my only prayer for that to come true, pun intended, is prayer. For example, by growing... more

Let me say this: I do not believe that I became pregnant with the Munchkin simply to fulfill another's want for a family. I do not believe that God put the Munchkin in my womb with the intention of putting a baby in J & D's arms. Some adoptive families, birth parents and religions disagree with me. That's fine. This is my belief: it didn't happen that way for me.

However, I do believe that God had His hands in several different areas of my decision making process. I grew up in a very pro-life family. Not so vehemently that my parents attended... more

Being pregnant while trying to muddle my way back through the muck of my faith was, at the very least, somewhat frustrating. Most of the time it was downright hard. I was tested. I was provoked. I was judged. I was ignored and shunned. I was all but beaten with a wet noodle.

And why?

Yes, I sure as heck was pregnant out of wedlock. Yes, I acknowlege those decisions that brought me to that place in my life. It is true that had I been living by God's commandments I wouldn't have ended up in such a... more

I've decided that I will use Sunday to talk about my faith, the struggles I have had both inside and outside of the immediate adoption world and how I am continuing on in my faith. I figure in order to create such a series here on the blog, you probably need some background information to get on the same page and understand where I've been and where I plan on going in the future. So, welcome to a Trip Down Jenna's Faith, 101.

I was raised in a Christian home, baptized in the Methodist church. My Mother was the daughter... more

From Pam Hasegawa, adoptee and adoption reform activist extraordinaire, I received word about a proposed workshop at the upcoming AAC conference to be held in Boston this year which may discuss religion and adoption. If you want to provide some input, email Rev. Margot Starbuck Hausmann at hauspeople@verizon. net with your response.

Are you a birth parent, adoptive parent, or adoptee? What flavor is your house of worship? Please describe your experience of awareness/truth/ openness/ light/freedom or hiding/covering/ lies/darkness... more

I love when I learn something in church that can apply to other areas of my life. Right now, as we're entering the Advent season, we're reading along in Luke. Today we focused on the prophecy from Zecheriah (John the Baptist's Dad) when re regained the ability to speak. To help the congregation understand things a bit more clearly, our (amazing) Pastor went on to describe the differences between contracts and covenants. As I was in the choir loft (first time!) and without a pen, I couldn't take notes. So this is... more

Have we, as a human race, lost all possibility of human empathy? Are we now a culture of people who would rather throw Mamma from the train than extend a little compassion to those who are hurting or in need? While reading through news stories and blogs today, I came across this interesting factoid. The actress who will be portraying the Virgin Mary in the upcoming movie The Nativity Story is pregnant.... more

When we bought our house this past February, we move out of the area of our old church. The church where we were married. The church in which our Son was baptized (on our first anniversary, no less). The church where we felt at home. Looking for a new church is no fun and basically sucks. However, we've finally settled into one. We like the Pastor, the people that we have met and the childrens' programs.

But oh, goodness, I hate going alone.

My Husband is a professional firefighter. He works 24 hours on and then has 48 hours off. Every third... more