In Episode 149, Dr. Rick and Phil have a conversation with Karen Springs, Author of Adoption Through the Rear View Mirror: Learning from Stories of Heartache and Hope and Communications Director for World Without Orphans, about (time-stamps following each bullet-point indicate the beginning of Karen’s answer covering each topic (video and audio timestamps differ slightly)):
- Karen’s book and what inspired her to write it (7:00)
- Karen’s passion and purpose (9:22)
- Why it is important to tell the whole truth when sharing about adoption, and how Karen did that in her book (11:02)
- How Karen’s experiences provided her a unique perspective that enabled her to share a much-needed viewpoint on the landscape of adoption in our world (14:02)
- Karen’s big takeaways from her examination of her experiences that made up the content of her book (17:29)
- The importance of adopting parents reframing their expectations and redefining success (20:29)
- Some of the difficult issues covered in her book, such as when parents and/or children are unable to bond/attach (24:25), how adoptive families can effectively deal with grief and trauma (30:16), and how we can better handle disruptions of adoptions (33:26)
- A couple of the faith lessons Karen has learned during her life journey with adoptive families, such as “blessings redefined” and “redemptive suffering” (39:48)
- Karen’s book recommendation (44:05) and how her views on the care of orphaned and vulnerable children have evolved over time (45:26)
- And much more
Links from the Show
- Episode Transcript
- Link to episode video (with subtitles) – https://youtu.be/gORUW6JpzGQ
- Karen’s website and more information about her book: https://www.karensprings.com
- Karen’s Beauty from the Ashes blog: karensprings.blogspot.com
- World Without Orphans website: https://www.worldwithoutorphans.org
Resources