Suzanne SlagellDec 20, 20205 minbasic advent, week four: we can choose loveChristmas is full of remembered trauma for our family. For many kids who come from hard places, not every memory is explicit, but there a...
Suzanne SlagellDec 13, 20207 minbasic advent, week three: we can practice joyI don’t think it’s accidental that we celebrate Advent and Jesus’ birth at this time of year. It’s a dark season. We’re quickly approachi...
Suzanne SlagellDec 6, 20205 minbasic advent, week two: we can bring peace2020 is the year that all of the Slagell girls got combat boots. Yes, it's trendy. Yes, it's completely within our preferred style vibe. ...
Suzanne SlagellNov 29, 20206 minbasic advent, week one: we can hold hopeFor a person who has based the bulk of her internal value system on this particular word for over a decade, hope and I have had a real re...
Suzanne SlagellNov 29, 20203 minbasic adventDo you all know about Advent? It’s my favorite season of the year. The four weeks before Christmas where we spend our time and energy get...
Suzanne SlagellApr 20, 20204 minsurvival instinctsThis quarantine started with tears for me. Grief over what I sensed instinctively was coming, particularly for my high school senior. Wor...
Suzanne SlagellDec 22, 201910 mindown to earth obedienceWhen we began fostering, I thought that every child that entered our home would stay forever. We got into this to expand our family, and w...
Suzanne SlagellDec 15, 20197 mindown to earth lifestyleThis past year, in a hard and painful but right-for-right-now decision, we let our license as a foster care home expire. We spent the who...
Suzanne SlagellDec 8, 201910 mindown to earth humilityI’ve heard and seen most of the anecdotes and memes the internet has to offer regarding this particular topic. Ones like this: “I followe...
Suzanne SlagellDec 1, 20196 mindown to earth loveOn a June evening, five years ago, we sat in an ER room with our youngest, just a year old, and we were not certain she was actually goin...
Suzanne SlagellNov 30, 20192 minshow up for adventAdvent is my favorite season of the year. Not Christmas. Advent: those four Sundays preceding Christmas. Advent comes from the Latin word...
Suzanne SlagellNov 26, 20194 minchoose your mottosI’ve always been a words girl - taping index cards of poetry and verses and phrases up all over my house. Most of my wall-hangings have w...
Suzanne SlagellJun 8, 20196 minten things I mostly know for sure about adoption and foster careBeing licensed foster parents for ten years and adoptive parents for eight of those years has taught us a few things. We frequently get a...
Suzanne SlagellMay 27, 20196 minlearning to dream againSo you’re like, just a stay-at-home mom? It wasn’t the first time I’d gotten that question, and it won’t be the last, I’m sure. Truth be ...
Suzanne SlagellMay 20, 20195 mina promise fulfilledOn a winter’s day this year, I logged on to my computer to check my eldest daughter’s recent team roster to see if I remembered any of th...
Suzanne SlagellMay 13, 20196 mintoo good to be the 'neighbor'My oldest daughter, due to a variety of known and as of yet unknown issues, has been recommended for a root canal. Our dentist pled incap...
Suzanne SlagellMay 6, 20194 minten years agoTen years ago, I opened this space with the intent of making it a record of the time we spent in the world of foster care. I called it Ex...