Tuesday, March 29, 2016

Positive Fatherhood #1


What is your name of your children? 
Terry has 6 kids and 2 grandkids.
Felicia who is married to Mike, Zachary who is married to Morgan, Chase who is married to Alexa, Logan, Jacob, and Anna.

Where do you live?
Terry lives in Indiana

What is your favorite thing about being a father?
Pouring into the kids life's and watching them grow into adults 

What was/is one of your favorite things to do with your children?
Sitting around the table for our evening meal together. Praying, eating, and sharing about our days. This might sound boring but I remember doing this growing up with my parents and siblings. It's amazing what that time each day does to keep a family close to each other in a busy world. 

What is one piece of advice you have for other fathers?
Work harder at being a father than at your job. Don't come home from work and isolate yourself in front of the TV. Be an "involved" husband and father.

Do you have a favorite story (something funny, a mistake you made that you learned from, a special memory, etc.) that you would like to share?
A funny story.... Our youngest Anna was born in Ethiopia and loves to dance and sing. We found this used karaoke machine that we gave to her at Christmas this past year. My wife and her were singing a popular pop song and I joined in singing. She stops and looks at me and says "Dad you should stick to being in the audience with that voice!" Ouch!

Monday, March 7, 2016

An Important Voice


There are many voices represented with adoption and foster care. As an adoptive father myself, it is easy to only listen to certain voices. I believe this is common in many areas of our lives. We have to be purposeful to listen to voices that may be different than ours, that maybe represent a group of people in which we do not belong, that maybe see things from a perspective that we have never seen before, that may even make us a little uncomfortable. When we choose to listen to the voices that are different than ours, it shows that our ultimate goal is understanding. We are seeking to understand something from another perspective other than our own.

This is why I believe that Angela Tucker's voice is so important! We all need to hear from her and other adoptees. Her experience is something we all can learn from.

Her questions
Her curiosity
Her bravery
Her courage
Take a listen it is only 34 minutes.

You can also learn more about her story in her documentary entitled "Closure." It can be seen on Netflix and Amazon.