Presidential candidate and former Florida Governor, Jeb Bush, wrote a book in 1995 that included a chapter called, “The Restoration of Shame”. He seems to believe that if we spent more time shaming people, we would have a better society. “One of the reasons more young women are giving birth out of wedlock and more…
I’ve blogged about my conflicted relationship with Mother’s Day before. Each year I implore my clergy colleagues to stop celebrating Mother’s Day in worship. It is a Hallmark holiday, not a liturgical one. And Mother’s Day is a painful day for many people already. Let’s not make it worse. Anyway. I digress. This Mother’s Day,…
I’ve never paid much attention to St Patrick’s Day before. My family is Scottish and Norwegian, primarily. It wasn’t our day. Then I discovered my birth father was of Irish descent. His last name was McCourt. So this is my first St. Patrick’s Day. I will be spending it in Chicago, where I am…
This morning, I sat in on a hearing about House Bill 154, which would limit a woman’s access to health care. I testified against the bill. It is intrusive. It does not raise the medical standard of care but interferes with access to health care, which is a real problem in a rural state that…
I haven’t written about my birth family discoveries lately. Partly because the Christmas season is a bit busy in my profession. Also because there hasn’t been much news. I’m totally fine with this being a slow process. I’m still in touch with my family members on my birth father’s side, and I was able to…
Today is my “Adoption Birthday”, the day my family adopted me and brought me home. I was a month and two days old. I’m sure it all became legal some months down the road, but December 14 has always been my day to celebrate. Mere mortals get only one birthday. Awesome adopted children get two.…
This Veteran’s Day I’m thankful for one veteran in particular, my birth father, Clinton Kenneth McCourt. After Pearl Harbor in Dec 1941, he like many of his generation, answered the call of the nation and joined the Navy a few months later, serving in the Philippines. Before I’d learned my birth father’s name, I’d suspected…
Earlier this week, I wrote about the small, little voice in my head using the word “rejection” to describe how I’m experiencing this new information about my birth parents. I appreciate your comments and support in response to that post. And I want to reiterate that while it is a piece of the puzzle, it…
I’m sure there are scholars who have written about this, and I should track down their wisdom. Disclaimer–this is only my reflection and may not resemble other adopted children’s experiences. I’ve recently been discovering things about my birth parents. I was able to speak to my birth mother on the phone for a few minutes.…
Thank you to everyone who has been following along this time of discovery. Ever since receiving my original birth certificate in August, I’ve been on quite the journey. It’s all been good. I’m quite sure I have not processed it all yet. And it is not only my story, so bear with me if the…
Glass Overflowing 