Karen's Journey

Thanksgiving Day 5K Turkey Trot 2011 -- Pre-Race With My #1 Fan Some of my friends remember me from my pre-PF (plantar fasciitis) running days. The days when a 25 minute training 5K run while engaged in conversation was just a walk in the Onondaga Lake Park. When 40-plus points in the noontime running league I participate in was -- well -- a walk in the park. When I could be the only woman in a heat of an 800 and lead for the first three 200 meter laps -- until I psyched myself out -- I'm still mad at myself about that. And then I turned 40, poised for master's running success -- still setting PR's in the longer distances, ready for my 40s to be my time. But my feet had other ideas. I managed a half marathon -- and a hike of Mt. Washington in New Hampshire -- on the blessed relief of a cortisone shot that actually worked. But once it wore off -- eight years of excruciating pain began. Four years in the left foot, followed by four years in my right foot. I've ...

To paraphrase Pauline Phillips (the original Dear Abby): On this day of giving thanks, We are thankful for food and remember the hungry; We are thankful for health and remember the sick; We are thankful for freedom and remember those who have no voice. May these remembrances stir us to service, so our gifts may be used for others. Wishing you and your loved ones a day filled with thanks -- and giving. Sweet potato kale soup with veggie sausage simmering on the stove!

An important read for anyone who has a child struggling with grief -- which includes all of us with adopted children. Here's a sample: #9 – Even though I might be acting out, what I’m really feeling is intense emotions of grief. Grieving children frequently feel sad, angry, confused, or scared. Since they might not know how to express all of these emotions, they often end up acting out instead. Ten Things to Understand About Children's Grief

I read that people who keep track of what they are grateful for are more likely to achieve their professional and personal goals. So I am jumping on the "things I am thankful for" bandwagon. First thing: "We come unbidden into this life, and if we are lucky we find a purpose beyond starvation, misery, and early death which, lest we forget is the common lot." From Cutting for Stone by Abraham Ver ghese.  Indeed, we in this country do not realize that our lives, and our comforts, are by far the exception, not the rule. Running water. Clean water. Immunizations. Education available to all/required for all (no keeping the oldest boy home to take care of the farm; no keeping the girls home to haul water and firewood). Social programs that ensure that kids do not starve to death (hunger is a problem here, but not starvation). So, I am thankful for having arrived unbidden into this country. What a stroke of good fortune. And I am thankful to have the opportu...

He got to help drive the tractor!

In the middle of this long, dark haul called developmental trauma disorder, it can seem like we're making no progress at all. One day blurs into the next and change is imperceptible. But looking back at two photos of apple picking trips, I feel like we can claim a small victory. The first photo is from October 2010. Mr. Grumpy was in full force. Nothing was right. It seemed like we heard nothing but complaints. He was just generally angry, and not just that day -- every day. We tried to take some nice photos to be able to share with his family in Ethiopia, but he was not at all cooperative. The most frustrating thing was that  he was enjoying the experience, and getting a big kick out of the tractor ride. But he was not going to let us know that. On camera, off smile. Grump! October 2010 The next photo is from our apple picking trip this year, October 2011. Here we are on the tractor ride. T is allowing himself to enjoy the experience, and the smile is so natural and HAPPY. It...

When Irish eyes are smilin'....St. Patty's Day 2010, five weeks home from Ethiopia   There's been a lot of chatter on a certain adoption board lately -- instigated unwittingly by me with a question regarding a school assignment -- about whether our children vicariously inherit our cultural heritage. Does a little boy from Ethiopia who is adopted by a Jewish family from the Bronx, for instance, become culturally Jewish? Or does he maintain his Ethiopian cultural heritage? What does he consider to be his past, and who are his ancestors? Does he have two sets -- one from Ethiopia and one from wherever in the world the adoptive parents' ancestors hailed from? Is he Jewish-American or Ethiopian-American? Or both? Both S's and my families have been in the United States too long to have retained any hyphenated cultural identity. S has to look up what county his family supposedly came from in Ireland -- neither of us can ever remember it. If there's family back ...

A lot of people are posting daily "what I'm thankful for" posts on Facebook this month. I'm not sure I'm up to that task, but I am thankful that we had some nice days this autumn to enjoy the annual leaf show -- and that our wind storm was kind enough to leave some leaves for us to enjoy. I wanted to share this photo from our apple/pumpkin picking outing a couple of weeks ago before we make the final turn into winter. My goal this year will be to somehow find beauty in November -- I find it a difficult month for nature photos with its predominately gun-metal grays, but I will be looking this year for whatever nuggets it may have to offer.