Hope Amidst Grief

Grief, my old friend and foe. Sometimes you trickle and sometimes you flow. I long to forget you but know that without you my compassion does not grow. The bitterness of hopes and dreams not yet fulfilled can repress the faith that through the ultimate healer all can be well.

As we enjoy this beautiful season, we may be reminded of the things we long for. Grief is a tool to healing, but sometimes it may feel that it rips at your very soul. Let us remember the reason for this joyous season, Jesus Christ the son of God and Redeemer of all mankind.

Elder Wirthlin left a message for us shortly before his passing about the depths of grief and despair and the hope the Savior brings. A short part of his message can be found in the following Mormon Message:



Allow yourself to grieve if you need to, it is not a sign of weakness. Let us look forward with hope and faith for our “Sunday” to come. The Lord knows our struggles, desires, sadness, and pain. He suffered in Gethsemane to be able to know how to help us even at our darkest points. Remember to share your grief with Him as well as your hopes for your eternal family. 

Continue in Patience

A wonderful reminder about Patience:



"God's promises are not always fulfilled as quickly or in the way we might hope." -Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Doing & Standing Still

Every where you see them…lines of children waiting to hop on Santa’s lap and proclaim their wishes for Christmas toys. Often you see parents hovering near, hoping to hear the gift idea that their child really wants this year. Many of those children may get their Christmas wish…(if it is reasonable and appropriate, of course). For children, the time between sitting on Santa’s lap and Christmas morning seems endless…so long to wait and endure the uncertainty of it all. Maybe you were one of those children, too, who felt December past too slowly and when was your desired gift going to arrive?

As adults, we know that we often must wait for things in life, but have we mastered the skill of waiting? Elder Uchtdorf talked about waiting in a recent conference address on Patience. He taught some important principles which might be helpful for you and your families as you must wait upon the Lord during your adoption process.

I don’t think the standing “still” refers to doing nothing as we wait for a child to be added to our family. I think it means that after and as we go about cheerfully doing all we can,

• we are attentive to the whispering of the Spirit in regards to our adoption planning—following the leads that are given;

• we try to maintain a respectful attitude to our Heavenly Father-the Giver of all great gifts;

• we acknowledge His hand in our lives; and

• we “stand still” often and count our blessings for each other, for extended families, and for all the children in our lives, whether assigned to your immediate family or not.

Our Heavenly Father has a plan for each one of us. We do not know what the end result will be for anyone. However, by both doing and standing still, we can be an active participant in traveling the path set before us by Him.

Finding Idea- A Christmas Letter

By sending a letter to all of your friends and family, you can 1) Let them know about your desire to adopt and even more importantly, 2) tell them how THEY can help YOU! The following is a list of ideas for developing your letter.

*INTRODUCE yourselves. Start off in the "typical Christmas letter way" by telling about what you have been up to, what the year has entailed for you, etc. Do this BEFORE you introduce your hope to adopt.

*SHARE about your decision to adopt. If you desire, share a little bit about your adoption experience.

*EDUCATE. When most people read your letter they won't get the point that you are soliciting their help to find your baby. Tell them that you are hoping that they could help bring about the miracle you are hoping for. Inform them about designated adoption. Explain what this means. Tell them that you are hoping that someone who reads your letter might be that third party that will ultimately connect you to an expectant parent. State that you hope that they might be that person that connects you to your birth mother.

*PROVIDE information. People still might be skeptical. Share that last year 27% of the adoptions performed through your agency were a direct result of a designated situation-- a connection like the one you might have with them. Tell them that there is an average of one young woman per ward each year who is faced with an unexpected pregnancy.

* PREPARE them to tell expectant parents how to find out more about you. Tell them to feel free to share your online profile (give them instructions on how to pull it up), give your adoption blog address, or supply pass along cards with all of the information a birth mother would need to find you.

*BE BOLD. Plan to send the letter to EVERYONE you can think of. Some couples might go so far as to even get out their old wedding invite list. The more people you can reach out to the better!

*HAVE FUN with it!!! It might seem silly or crazy to send this letter out and ask people to help you find your birthmother....if you think so, say it! Write with personality. This can take the awkward edge off what you are asking them to do.

*INVOLVE your family. Make a party of preparing and stuffing the letters. If your family members desire, let them donate stamps to your cause.

Winners of Giveaways

Thank You to everyone who participated in last month's National Adoption Month Celebration Giveaways.  According to RANDOM.ORG . . .

For the children's book Tell Me Again About the Night I Was Born, the winner is entry # 2, JULIE, who spread the word about the Giveaways on Facebook and said: 

We are celebrating our foster baby boy "Little Dude" in hopes that we are his forever family.

For an Adult-Sized FSA T-Shirt the winner was entry # 4, PENELOPE, who said:

We are celebrating the adoption of our strong-willed Stinkpot! I am so thankful for this special little 3-yr-old. He is simply amazing. 

Congratulations and Thank You for helping us celebrate adoption.

Christmas Service Opportunities

Looking for a way to serve this Christmas Season?

Here's two great opportunities:

The Christmas Box Giving Tree Project

The Adoption Exchange Sub For Santa Project

National Adoption Month Celebration & Giveaways

To celebrate National Adoption Month, we are going to have an ongoing acknowledgement of those who have affected our lives through adoption.  Please add a comment to this post in answer to the question "Who are you celebrating this month?" and LET'S SEE HOW MANY PEOPLE WE CAN CELEBRATE!

Everyone who posts a comment will be put into a drawing for a GIVEAWAY to win two prizes:

One winner will win the delightful children's book Tell Me Again About the Night I Was Born, which has been graciously donated by one of our caseworkers who also happens to be an adoptive mother.  Thanks, Judy!

Another winner will win an adult size Families Supporting Adoption (FSA) t-shirt, shown below:

FOR BONUS ENTRIES:

*Become a Follower of Layton FSA's blog (see right-hand sidebar under "ADOPTION SUPPORTERS") and comment about it.

*Blog about this giveaway on your own blog and leave a comment with a link to your blog.
*Spread the word on Facebook in your status update.

Example of Entries:
*I am celebrating my  beautiful daughter and her beautiful birthmother, me@myemail.com.
*I'm following Layton FSA's blog, me@myemail.com 
*I blogged about the giveaway on mycoolblog@blogspot.com! me@myemail.com
*I spread the word on Facebook, me@myemail.com

Be sure to include your e-mail in your comments so we can contact you!

Contest closes on November 30th at midnight, MDT, and the winners will be selected using random.org.  However, your comments are always welcome.

Boondocks Adoption Party

Thank You,
                   Utah Adoption Council, Kaysville Boondocks, and Wendy's for a fun-filled Adoption Celebration!

FREE Story Performance/Workshop

click to enlarge

2010 Adoption Walk

The 5th Annual Adoption Walk With Me at Liberty Park was GREAT! A family from our chapter claimed the prize for wearing the most ORANGE and a few others from our chapter won some prizes in the raffle.

If you weren't able to join us this year, please join us next year as we walk in celebration of adoption! 

And in related news, check out some of these familiar faces:

 

Adoption Myths & Realities

Click HERE for enlarged downloadable version

30 Ways to Celebrate Adoption in 30 Days

"Each year, the President of the United States issues a proclamation that sets aside November as National Adoption Month. In addition to the Presidential proclamation, many State governors also issue proclamations in an effort to raise awareness of the need for loving and permanent homes for children in their states.

National Adoption Awareness Month is a great time for you to get involved in the effort to make a difference in the lives of children from all across the country. The Adoption.com National Adoption Awareness Month 30 Days of Activities Calendar is a great way to promote adoption in your home as well as in your community. Take some time this November to get out and encourage the citizens in your community to become involved."

Information courtesy Adoption.com

Click HERE to view Adoption.com's National Adoption Awareness Month 30 Days of Activities Calendar. 

To download Adoptive Families.com Calendar (shown below) click HERE.

What Exactly is the Adoption Walk?

For those of you who have never attended FSA's Adoption Walk during National Adoption Awareness Month, here is some information that might be helpful.

Submitted by adoptive parent Kamarie K:

Some of you may be wondering what this is all about, well I will tell you. This event is for anyone who wants to support adoption or has been touched by adoption in any way. Last year was my first opportunity to participate and it was awesome! We had fun, we felt loved from all who participated and we walked in celebration of the beautiful miracle adoption.

One thing we do is we walk with a sign on our backs, on this sign we write who we are celebrating that day. We walked with Ruthie's name and her birth family's names on our backs. We were hoping they could come last year, but they were not able to. Maybe this year!

My sister and brother in law had their niece come who is a birthmother who had lovingly placed her baby boy in the arms of his family. It was an honor to have her there with us, as well as many other birth parents who came to support their children and their families. I took the liberty of asking the people who came to support us last year what their experience was like to share with all of you. Some of them have responded, so I will copy their responses to let you read what a great experience you too can have if you will join us.

"My most favorite thing about the adoption walk was more than just one thing....every person whom I chatted with was so energized and filled with happiness because of their experience of joy they have had with adotpion. Hearing happy parents tell their stories of their little one's adoption journey were priceless. Family members and friends were there to support their loved ones as they celebrated their adoption experiences. The feeling that I felt at Liberty Park that morning was a really great feeling, and I was able to share that moment with my daughter." -Brooke H.

"I enjoy any activity that features babies and that activity showcased some beautiful children and the happiness in the eyes of parents every where was evident...."  -Rick D.

"i loved it. I didn't know really what it was going to be but i was profoundly affected by it. to see blended families gathered together supporting one another was impressive and to read the names of the children on peoples back really moved me. all of the sudden adoption and all of it's layers became real to me. i knew what it had meant you and steve and was grateful for those series of miracles that had fallen into place but here i was also seeing several different sides to the adoption story for families. these are children of God with mothers (adopting and birth) who love their babies and want a good life for their child. It was unifying, building and moving. i was grateful for my own little babies and happy for all the families made possible through the adoptive process."  -Mieka H.

JOIN US THIS YEAR on Saturday, November 6th!
Registration Begins at 9:30; Walk Begins at 10:00
Liberty Park is at 1100 S 600 E Salt Lake City

International Adoption Information Meeting

Chat Night FYI

Layton FSA and Centerville FSA will continue to meet together the 3rd Wednesday of every month {usually}for Chat Nights, an informal gathering where we meet together in someone’s home and discuss adoption-related topics.  Feel free to bring any adoption-related questions, comments or stories you would like to share.

Chat group is a great opportunity for adoptive couples and prospective adoptive couples to get to know and support each other.

UPCOMING CHAT NIGHTS:

Thursday, October 21st
International Adoptions
7 pm at the home of Jeff & Elizabeth Reed

Wednesday, November 17th
Balancing the Relationship with Multiple Birthmoms
7 pm at the home of Jeff & Elizabeth Reed

Questions? E-mail Elizabeth Reed at elizabethreed_@hotmail.com.

5th Annual Adoption Walk

Show your support for adoption by joining us at the 5th Annual Adoption Walk!

DATE: November 6, 2010

TIME: 9:30 Registration, 10:00 Start

LOCATION: Liberty Park in Salt Lake, 
                       1100 S 600 E Salt Lake City

                         click here for directions

• LOOK FOR THE LAYTON FSA BANNER; We will be meeting together and walking as a group.
• Wear your FSA Shirts and/ or ORANGE (the official color for the walk) 
• There will be a Raffle and Prizes for wearing the most orange.

Want To Get Involved?

*If you are INTERESTED IN SERVING ON ONE OF OUR COMMITTEES (Activities, Education, Outreach) please come to our next Board Meeting on Friday, October 8th at 10 a.m. at the Layton LDS Family Services Office OR contact us at laytonfsa@gmail.com.

*20 VOLUNTEERS ARE NEEDED to help set up and clean up at Utah Adoption Council’s Boondocks Day on Saturday, November 13th. 

If you are interested please contact Josh or Melanie at beynon82@aol.com.

*Doughnuts and milk are needed for the Boondocks activity.  If you have connections for donated or reduced priced, contact James at wadmanjl@ldsfamilyservices.org.

Utah Adoption Council Boondocks Party

MARK YOUR CALENDARS . . .

click to enlarge

Bring your family, friends, and neighbors!

September Chat Night

Chat group will be Wednesday, September 15 at 7 pm at the home of Jeff and Elizabeth Reed. It's an open forum. If you have any questions about adoption we will be happy to discuss them. If you want to ask questions about your profile or pictures you are welcome to do that too. 

If you have any questions please email Elizabeth at elizabethreed_@hotmail.com.

We hope to see you there!

FSA T-Shirts and Sweatshirts

Show your support for adoption by buying (and wearing) your Families Supporting Adoption shirts!

* Adult Sizes from S-XL are $7.50
* Youth Sizes from XS-XL are $5.00  If you are interested in smaller (toddler) sizes let us know!
*  Sweatshirts are $18

Larger sizes can be ordered for $9.
Types of sweatshirts can also be ordered.

Buy your shirts at the Layton LDSFS Office with cash, a credit card, or a check payable to LDS Family Services!

Chat Night Tomorrow

Tomorrow night, August 18th is chat night at the Reed's home. We will be talking about how to find and use agencies outside of LDSFS. Bring any and all questions you have! Also, if you have adopted through another agency we'd love to have your input. Chat group will be at 7pm at the Reed's home.

If you have any questions please email Elizabeth at elzabethreed_@hotmail.com.

Hope to see you there!

Looking For A Way To Serve?

So were we…….and we found one…...

National FSA Conference Folder Stuffing Party

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

10:00-12:00 noon

869 West 2800 South, Syracuse, UT

We will be meeting at Judy Hall’s home to stuff folders for the upcoming National FSA Conference. Come and bring your kids and they can play while you meet new people and stuff folders. It is a simple project but will be a big help to the National Board as they complete their preparation for a great conference. Please RSVP to hallja@ldsfamilyservices.org .

Hope to see you there.

July Chat Night

Chat Night for July will be on Thursday, July 22nd at 7:00 p.m.  The group will be held at the Reed's home (where it usually is).  We will send out an email with their address.  The topic is going to be about open adoption and how to discuss adoption with your children.  It's going to be a great night!  We hope to see you there!

Layton FSA Launch Party!

(click flyer to enlarge)

A New Chapter

Welcome to Layton Families Supporting Adoption! We are very excited to announce the creation of our new FSA chapter. As of June 1st, 2010 the Davis County FSA Chapter split to become the Layton FSA Chapter and the Centerville FSA Chapter. As a newly formed board we are excited to get organized and hit the ground running. We look forward to working with and for all FSA members. We are still trying to get all of our committees up and running and are definitely looking for help. If you are at all interested in participating in FSA in any way, please contact us! We’d love to get as many people involved as would like to, and there is lots of work to do.

To kick off our newly formed chapter we are going to have a social on Saturday, June 26th at 5:30 p.m. We will meet at the west pavilion in the park just south of Legacy Junior High.  Come and socialize, eat good food, and have a good time.  We will be sending out emails with more information soon!

A message from James

I am very excited that we are moving FSA forward and having a Layton chapter. I am grateful to all of those who have stepped up and helped to lead the way. I am looking forward to getting to know all of the members and am excited to see how we can make a difference in adoption. We have much work to do, but I believe that we will make a difference (for children and families) in this great world of ours. The Layton office has been blessed by having the best case workers and amazing secretaries and volunteers. I hope all of you have a fun and safe summer. May God bless all of you… James