Shownotes
As the mother of 3 adopted children (two with Down syndrome), Heather Avis has a passion to shout the God-Given worth of every person! She loves celebrating inclusivity and how we are each different and unique.
Enter to win a FREE copy of Heather’s New York Times Bestselling Children’s book, Different - A Great Thing To Be! The contest ends August 11th 2021 at midnight.
Episode Discussion Points
- Fun had yard saling in Southern California
- How she felt life was so unfair when she and her husband couldn’t get pregnant
- How she was angry and vented to God like a tantruming child, and how He loved her through it all.
- What her most frustrating moment with God looked like when she was going through the adoption process.
- Sometimes God gives us gifts that we unwrap and the present isn’t what we were hoping for. At those moments we need a shift in perspective, and realize God is the giver of good gifts.
- How they adopted their daughter with Down Syndrome, heart and lung conditions and were able to have front seats to miracles.
- When you are blessed with a child with special needs, your life changes, and there is a grieving period for your expectations, but it also opens you up to “the other side of things” where you get to glimpse divinity.
- When asked, “How do you do that?” Heather answered, “You do the thing you have to do for your kid,” whether it be open heart surgery or whatever else they are dealing with.
- The stories of adopting her three children, two with Down Syndrome and congenital heart defects, and one typical child.
- How her perspective on adoption has changed (For more details see separate section below).
- We need to shift the narrative from adoptive parents being the heroes to they are just a part of the triad along with birth families (where possible) and the child being adopted.
- Starting her group, “The Lucky Few” as a voice for parents of Down Syndrome children.
- Writing her books, “The Lucky Few,” and “Scoot Over and Make Some Room.”
- Her dream of writing a children’s book, and how that came to be her New York Times Bestselling book, “Different - A Great Thing to Be!”
- We also had a great discussion on how we promote inclusivity from the time people are young.
- Heather’s favorite Bible verse is: 1 Thessalonians 5: 16-18, “Rejoice always. Pray continually. Give thanks in all circumstances for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” For Heather this means she can rejoice and pray always. God is God—period! She can trust in Him and His plan no matter what.
Heather’s Perspective on Adoption
Heather’s perspective on adoption has changed from her getting a baby to having different goals when a child is born. This is how she thinks people should look at adoption:
- Keeping families intact by giving birth families support;
- Look at kinship adoption
- Look at adoption within their same race.
- Interracial adoption
ALL with the idea of what is best for the child and that there will always be a birth family who is important to the child who are not a threat.
Book Trailer
Check out the fun book trailer for Different - A Great Thing to Be!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_Q5QzKEV14
Favorite Quotes by Heather Avis
- “Hard is not bad. Hard is just hard.”
- “Motherhood is the hardest gig—raising another human.”
- “God’s holiness doesn’t hinge on me getting pregnant or not.”
- “When you are hurting and broken, God is hurting and broken with us.”
Connect with Heather
#tamarakanderson #storiesofhopeinhardtimes #podcast #hope #God #hardtimes #adoption #downsyndrome #inclusivity #different #worth #unique
Transcription
You can find the transcription of today's episode here: https://www.tamarakanderson.com/podcasts/how-i-became-one-of-the-lucky-few
