I have written before about the struggles of married “single parenthood”. This phenomenon in my own adoptive family is part of the reason why I dropped off the grid last week. I might be in and out, depending upon the medical results I get right after the holidays … but that is another story that I will wait to share if there is anything to share. I am hoping that this is a false alarm.

My sister graduated from college last weekend. She went from a being ninth grade dropout to an honors graduate with a double-major. Her story is so impressive that the president of the university mentioned her by name and shared her story in his commencement address. Very cool!

I left my adopted child at home with his father because my mother/abuser was in attendance, and I don’t want that woman anywhere near my kid. That meant that hub had to parent our son for most of the weekend.

Holly … … its meaning is "the holly tree" - Think Baby Names

The baby name Holly is of Old English origin and is a popular name to give to baby girls who are born around Christmas.

The baby name Holly first appeared on the charts at #981 in 1936. The baby name broke into the Top 100 in 1969, peaking at #48 in 1983. As of 2008, the baby name Holly ranks #365. See Popular Baby Names.

A reader found Adoption Under One Roof while seeking the answer to the following question:

Why does constantly talking about abuse feel like reliving it?

My answer is that I suspect this person still has many emotional wounds from the child abuse that still need healing. Until you heal your emotional wounds, then anything that makes you think about those wounds is going to hurt and make you feel like you are reliving the trauma.

When I first entered into therapy, I asked my therapist how long I was going to have to be in therapy. He said that I needed to talk about the child abuse until I no longer felt the need to talk about it anymore. He was right. I no longer feel the need to talk about what happened to me and share my story with others. This is because I have healed the pain.

That being said, I do talk about child abuse a lot, both here as well as on my personal blog. I don’t do it because I need to talk about it – I do it because others need me to talk about it.

Carol … … its meaning is "free man" - Think Baby Names

The baby name Carol is of English origin and probably originated as a short form of the baby name Caroline, which means “free man.” Some people name their Christmas babies Carol because of Christmas carols.

The baby name Carol has been on the charts almost every year since 1880, when it ranked #685. The baby name broke into the Top 100 in the 1920’s and peaked at #4 in 1941. The baby name stayed in the Top 100 through 1971. The baby name last appeared on the charts in 2006 at #972. See Popular Baby Names.

A reader found Adoption Under One Roof seeking the answer to the question:

Where is God when your child is abused?

As someone who was severely abused as a child, I have wrestled with this question for years. I have written about this topic extensively on my personal blog:

• Getting Past Feeling like God Deserted You after Child Abuse
• Shouldn’t God be Expected to Protect Children?
• Where is God During Child Abuse?
• Where Was God When I Was Being Abused?
• Why Would a Loving God Allow Pain and Child Abuse?
• Words of Wisdom from “The Shack”: Where is God During Abuse?

After wrestling with this question for years, here are the conclusions that I have drawn in a nutshell: