Friday Roundup--10.15.2010

© Cheese Curds and Kimchi

It's all about connections. The people you choose to bring into your life, the relationships you tend, the things you share with one another--these are the things that make our worlds richer.

Most are forgettable. Many are enjoyable. And some are passing moments that leave a huge mark on your life. I can remember an elderly man I met about 10 years ago. Our time together was brief, only about 30 minutes while I shot a portrait of him for a publication. I photographed him in a wheat field, as golden as his years. As we slowly walked through the field, we talked about how your expectations change as you age. He was reflective and nostalgic about the changes he was experiencing and things he had lost over the years. His wife was very ill and he missed the passion and energy of their youth.

But he was also joyful and excited to see what other experiences were ahead of him in his remaining years.

That conversation has stuck with me all these years, although I've long forgotten the man's name.

Making unexpected connections like that are such a gift. Those are the relationships, even brief, that life just puts in your path. The ones that you didn't know you were going to find, and didn't know enough to go looking for.

That's one of the blessings of our adoption experience---it's opened up a new world to us. Yes, challenging and frustrating at times, but also complete with others who have, or are on, the same path as we are. People that we probably wouldn't have met if we were not all connected by adoption.

And that makes this journey even sweeter.

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Of course, this is the highlight of the week. Jennifer and Bill at "...and baby makes three..." were united with their son Samuel! Here's the post about the day they became a family. Hop on over there and wish them congrats!

This post at "A woman my age" just sucked me in. It's a sensitive and personal post about infertility and letting go of what she thought her life would look like.

A great food for thought post at "Red's Wrap" about fear and how we teach it to children.

Wow. This post at "Just Enjoy Him" about the proliferation of cutesy breast cancer items and their popularity gave me an entirely new perspective. 

Not really sure where I am in the faith vs. hope discussion at "Daily Dose of Mama". I keep reading the post though, and there's something brewing in the back of my brain....

One more at "Daily Dose of Mama". A breathtaking post about what she thinks about each night as she lays her child down to sleep.

Not sure if your cat wants to kill you? Check this handy chart to see if you know the signs.

Pumpkin peach cobbler? Say what? Sounds great, and the blogstress at Mama Manifesto says it's made in 5 minutes. Must investigate....

Have a great weekend!