While We Wait: What I've Read

I posted last how this waiting has been so long. We are keeping ourselves busy while we wait though, and I thought I'd do a few posts about what we've been doing to occupy ourselves in the meantime.

First, I thought I'd do a post about what I've been reading in the meantime, as that tends to be one of the most frequently asked questions on the adoption forums and pages that I've been able to follow...

In the past few months, these are some of the books I've been reading:

The Lost Daughter's of China (click title to access on Amazon). I do like this book, but it's not my favorite. It's definitely following someone's adoption journey, and it's not from a Christian perspective, which is interesting since a lot of adoption books do happen to discuss in relation to Christ. It's a bit of a lengthier, slower read, and slightly outdated, as it refers often to the patterns of adoption in China in the early 2000's when many healthy baby girls were being abandoned and adopted internationally mostly just due to their gender. Now, there are just as many, if not more boys who are being abandoned, and all international adoptions from China are special need adoptions only.

Bringing Lucy Home (click title to access on Amazon) I really like this book. Oddly enough, Kris had bought this for me a few years ago, before adopting from China was even back on our radar. I re-read it again, this time with a better understanding of the process. This is written from a Christian perspective. Also, I do LOVE this because it's relatively short and a really easy read. She blogged her journey first before adjusting to a book format, so the writing is very casual and friendly.

Message from an Unknown Chinese Mother (click title to access on Amazon) This really may be one of my favorite books of all time. It is longer, but I still couldn't put it down, and read it in 24 hours. I read it NON-STOP. It was so intriguing. The author is Chinese, and was a radio host of a women's program for years, and traveled ALL over China interviewing women. This story tells the anonymous stories of women all over China who were in terrible, terrible situations and made the horribly painful decisions to give up their daughters. This one is not a happy book, I'll say that up front. However, it's reality, and SO interesting. I loved that I feel like a was able to gain insight into the mind of Caroline's birth mom, but I was also able to learn tidbits about all regions of China. SO GOOD.

The Magnolia Story (click title to access on Amazon) because how many books on China and adoption can you really read in a row, and who doesn't just love the Gaines' with every bit of their being?! I LOVE THEM. This is such a light-hearted, quick read. It's not heavy in the least, and I love how both Chip and Jo contribute, and you know who's "talking" by the font. I so admire their relationship and just love their mutual respect for one another. They speak so highly of each other, and seem to have a genuinely good time together, even when they took big risks that didn't always pay off. Now THAT'S the type of marriage I want to have!

The Little Woman (click title to access on Amazon) THIS IS THE BOOK THAT STARTED IT ALL. Back in third grade, Miss Bosch read us this book, and this is the book that started my little nine year old heart wanting to adopt from China. What a beautiful full-circle moment to be able to re-read the words that placed our girl on my heart so long ago. This is a really short, quick read and it's really inexpensive. I constantly remember this book throughout this journey. As Gladys started praying about going to China, which was so ridiculous in context (she was a single woman in the 1930's who didn't speak a lick of Mandarin), she heard the Holy Spirit asking her "Is Nehemiah's God your God?" I have told myself that so much during this process, and I'll say, we have seen God show up like never before, just liked Gladys did throughout her life. I long for the day when I can live every day remembering that Nehemiah's God is my God, without constantly doubting His faithfulness.

The Connected Child (click title to access on Amazon) This is a book "for" adoptive families, however, I'm pretty sure that ANY family with any type of behavioral/anxiety issues could benefit from this book. Karyn Purvis was the greatest of the great when it came to dealing with trauma in children appropriately, and she has truly become the standard of awesome parenting in the adoptive community. Apparently, she's even become a verb, as a fellow adoptive momma wrote this week (in regards to how hard it can be to parent a child from grief and trauma) that "we just can't Purvis all the time." If you google this book, it will also bring up amazing video resources. I highly recommend this!

 The One Year Bible (click title to access on Amazon) SO MANY PEOPLE blogged/Instagramed that they're been reading through the Bible annually using this. I've been a Christian for twenty eight years, and I've never read it clear through, so I decided that this was the year. I ordered this, and have been reading it incrementally. It's New Living Translation, which is different than what I'm used to, but I like the wording so far. Also, I LOVE the lay out. Reading all the old laws in the Old Testament is really, really hard for me. I love that this breaks up the monotony of it, and pairs it side by side with the Gospel. For me, it puts the grace and freedom from Jesus in a whole new light when it is compared (literally) right next to Leviticus.

My good ol' NIV Bible- I'm not linking this, because I really think a daily Bible should be a matter of preference for the reader. Truthfully, I'm not strictly dedicated to the NIV, and I've heard lots of arguments for lots of different translations, HOWEVER, I am much more simple than that. This Bible was from the Family Christian Bookstore years ago, and I ended up with NIV because I loved the size and feel of this Bible in my hands. I knew I'd be more likely to spend time in it, if it was physically comfortable to me. This Bible has almost become like "home" it's so familiar. I tried to replace my Bible with my One Year Bible just so I could deal with less books, but as gooney as this sounds, I started feeling "homesick" for my old Bible, so I'm just doing both for now as much as I can.

What have you been reading lately? I would love some recommendations... Remember, I'm waiting a lot and need to occupy my mind so I don't become a crazy lady :)

HAPPY WEEKEND, FRIENDS!