trip music from Leslie Bullington on Vimeo.
Friday, November 6, 2015
Monday, October 13, 2014
Day 13 of Writing on Heritage
Posted, Painted, and Propped
As promised, here are the photos of our Heritage at Home decor. Please forgive me for the quality of these. They are for demonstration purposes only. Zero styling, too - we like to keep things real on the Bullington Board.
Davis' Room - The matching canvas safari prints on either side of the window came separately from a consignment sale and an antique market. The scarves on the window are all from Ethiopia.
The shadowbox on the opposite wall contains gifts given to Davis by his sweet Nanny who took care of him before we brought him home. She gave him a necklace with a wooden Ethiopian cross, the sash, and the silver musicians art. A picture of her holding him is in the box as well. Obviously it was very important to her that he bring Ethiopia home with him!
The photo album sitting on the top was a gift we sent to him when he was still at the transition home. The small shadowboxes on the dresser contain photos of the first time that we held him along with some wool animals we bought on that trip. There are also paintings on animal skin: one of another trio of musicians and one of a woman spinning wool. The amharic writing-on-board art with the clock and trumpet was made by a boy that David met when he took his trip to ET a year after we were there together. I don't know the proper translation for it, but to me it has something to do with our time having a limit - the trumpet will sound! [For some interesting writing on how some scripture is received differently by those in the developed and developing world go to an excellent book I once read called Unexpected News: Reading the Bible with Third World Eyes.]
We don't take great care of these items, as you can see not all of them are protected and one of the paintings is currently in use as a parking space. Or maybe I should say that we allow these treasures to be accessible to Davis - just as his culture should be.
Before Pearl came home, Faith and I painted these big and little sister Cherry Blossom trees on the wall in the girls' room. Cherry Blossoms are celebrated in China and also in Macon, Georgia - David's home town and the place where I grew up. Macon is the Cherry Blossom Capital of the World! David and I got married in Cherry Blossom time, and we lost nearly all of our 11th anniversary traveling to China to get our girl. So these also represent the season when she came home. The red decoration was a gift from Pearl's orphanage staff.
Here are "Baby Pearl" and "Baby Davis." Love how the American Girl Co. lets you order Baby doll "twin" sets in whatever ethnicity you choose! Pearl received this pair last Christmas and spends a lot of time lavishing her own special care on them. We sometimes call them Mavis and Merle. (For the purpose of this post I am calling them accessories.)
This beautiful piece of embroidery was done by the "housewives" of the embroidery museum in Hunan. The front is impressive. . .
The back is just as lovely. [Insert well-written life metaphor here.]
Scripture in Chinese. Well showcased amidst the dust on the top of the television hutch. (ha)
One of my Grandmother's Magnolia paintings. I love this piece so much, and it has such wonderful associations of home and family for me, that I took three shades of blue from it and painted my foyer, living room, and dining room each one of those colors.
As promised, here are the photos of our Heritage at Home decor. Please forgive me for the quality of these. They are for demonstration purposes only. Zero styling, too - we like to keep things real on the Bullington Board.
Davis' Room - The matching canvas safari prints on either side of the window came separately from a consignment sale and an antique market. The scarves on the window are all from Ethiopia.
The shadowbox on the opposite wall contains gifts given to Davis by his sweet Nanny who took care of him before we brought him home. She gave him a necklace with a wooden Ethiopian cross, the sash, and the silver musicians art. A picture of her holding him is in the box as well. Obviously it was very important to her that he bring Ethiopia home with him!
The photo album sitting on the top was a gift we sent to him when he was still at the transition home. The small shadowboxes on the dresser contain photos of the first time that we held him along with some wool animals we bought on that trip. There are also paintings on animal skin: one of another trio of musicians and one of a woman spinning wool. The amharic writing-on-board art with the clock and trumpet was made by a boy that David met when he took his trip to ET a year after we were there together. I don't know the proper translation for it, but to me it has something to do with our time having a limit - the trumpet will sound! [For some interesting writing on how some scripture is received differently by those in the developed and developing world go to an excellent book I once read called Unexpected News: Reading the Bible with Third World Eyes.]
We don't take great care of these items, as you can see not all of them are protected and one of the paintings is currently in use as a parking space. Or maybe I should say that we allow these treasures to be accessible to Davis - just as his culture should be.
Before Pearl came home, Faith and I painted these big and little sister Cherry Blossom trees on the wall in the girls' room. Cherry Blossoms are celebrated in China and also in Macon, Georgia - David's home town and the place where I grew up. Macon is the Cherry Blossom Capital of the World! David and I got married in Cherry Blossom time, and we lost nearly all of our 11th anniversary traveling to China to get our girl. So these also represent the season when she came home. The red decoration was a gift from Pearl's orphanage staff.
Here are "Baby Pearl" and "Baby Davis." Love how the American Girl Co. lets you order Baby doll "twin" sets in whatever ethnicity you choose! Pearl received this pair last Christmas and spends a lot of time lavishing her own special care on them. We sometimes call them Mavis and Merle. (For the purpose of this post I am calling them accessories.)
This beautiful piece of embroidery was done by the "housewives" of the embroidery museum in Hunan. The front is impressive. . .
The back is just as lovely. [Insert well-written life metaphor here.]
Scripture in Chinese. Well showcased amidst the dust on the top of the television hutch. (ha)
One of my Grandmother's Magnolia paintings. I love this piece so much, and it has such wonderful associations of home and family for me, that I took three shades of blue from it and painted my foyer, living room, and dining room each one of those colors.
I love my home!
I love my nest!
In all the world
My nest is best!
My nest is best!
The Best Next
P.D. Eastman
P.D. Eastman
We have very little skill in home decorating, but we have tried to express our unique family background through our room design. Davis is due for an updated look in his room soon, and he has requested a certain crimson and white color palate, so it will be a test of creativity to blend Ethiopia and Alabama harmoniously in one space.
Sunday, October 12, 2014
Day 12 of Writing on Heritage
Heritage Begins at Home
I am not a good cook. I have never made any dish that represented Ethiopian culture, and we've only taken Davis to an Ethiopian restaurant outside of Addis Ababa once. (It was a great place in Atlanta called Queen of Sheba. Davis' favorite part of the meal was the lettuce.) We've had Chinese food only a handful of times more than that. Never something I prepared. Pearl is a "spicy girl" from Hunan who has rarely tasted the bright flavors that established the spicy food = spicy people equation.
But the kitchen isn't the only room in which you can expose your kids to the culture of the place they were born. We have done a much better job integrating elements of the kids' Chinese and Ethiopian heritage into our home decor. I plan to spend a few days in next week sharing a few photos of our home and the ways in which it reflects the places where we've lived.
There are many great reasons to give a view of the wide world through different types of windows in our home. Photographs of those in different lands, artwork and stories from other cultures, and maps all help us to appreciate the diversity of the earth and, hopefully, to be less self-important.
My sister is writing through her 31 days by sharing ways in which we can decorate our homes with map art. Her blog is called Map of Home, and she has some really great ideas there of maps that are beautiful, share stories, or simply illustrate the boundaries of nations. One of my favorite maps there is this one, a map which shows the path taken by my sister's in-laws, who immigrated to America from the Philippines. I think we may need some kind of Family History Map like this for our home, so the place where we live can better reflect our heritage.
I am not a good cook. I have never made any dish that represented Ethiopian culture, and we've only taken Davis to an Ethiopian restaurant outside of Addis Ababa once. (It was a great place in Atlanta called Queen of Sheba. Davis' favorite part of the meal was the lettuce.) We've had Chinese food only a handful of times more than that. Never something I prepared. Pearl is a "spicy girl" from Hunan who has rarely tasted the bright flavors that established the spicy food = spicy people equation.
But the kitchen isn't the only room in which you can expose your kids to the culture of the place they were born. We have done a much better job integrating elements of the kids' Chinese and Ethiopian heritage into our home decor. I plan to spend a few days in next week sharing a few photos of our home and the ways in which it reflects the places where we've lived.
There are many great reasons to give a view of the wide world through different types of windows in our home. Photographs of those in different lands, artwork and stories from other cultures, and maps all help us to appreciate the diversity of the earth and, hopefully, to be less self-important.
My sister is writing through her 31 days by sharing ways in which we can decorate our homes with map art. Her blog is called Map of Home, and she has some really great ideas there of maps that are beautiful, share stories, or simply illustrate the boundaries of nations. One of my favorite maps there is this one, a map which shows the path taken by my sister's in-laws, who immigrated to America from the Philippines. I think we may need some kind of Family History Map like this for our home, so the place where we live can better reflect our heritage.
Saturday, October 11, 2014
Day 11 of Writing on Heritage
Together for Adoption
Next week there will be a chance to be part of the "critical conversation" I mentioned a few days ago surrounding the ethics of adoption and orphan care. The Together for Adoption Conference will be held in Greenville, SC from the 17th -18th. We've been to a few of these conferences before. The ones we attended featured experts on all manner of issues related to adoption targeted to parents, church ministries, and church leaders and it looks like this year will be no different. This year's conference title is URGENCY & COMPLEXITY – Biblical & Ethical Approaches to the Orphan Crisis.
Next week there will be a chance to be part of the "critical conversation" I mentioned a few days ago surrounding the ethics of adoption and orphan care. The Together for Adoption Conference will be held in Greenville, SC from the 17th -18th. We've been to a few of these conferences before. The ones we attended featured experts on all manner of issues related to adoption targeted to parents, church ministries, and church leaders and it looks like this year will be no different. This year's conference title is URGENCY & COMPLEXITY – Biblical & Ethical Approaches to the Orphan Crisis.
Friday, October 10, 2014
Day 10 of Writing on Heritage
Inside Jokes
Pearl has a sly look. She points at a little boy sitting with his family across the way in the Dairy Queen and says, "I know him!"
"Oh, really, where do you know him from?" I ask.
"He was a baby in China when I was a baby in China!" she says with a grin and a giggle.
This is no reunion. That boy is white with blond hair. We all laugh at Pearl, and she is so pleased with her silly self.
I am glad that Pearl loves to talk about her story and her homeland, even in telling her jokes. I love that she says "My China!" whenever she sees Chinese writing or anything else that represents that country to her.
When we went to China there was a family in our group that included a young girl who had been adopted from China as a baby. She was able to visit several points of interest from her own story while we were there. It was an amazing thing to think about.
Our adoption agency and many other organizations offer guided trips for children who were adopted from China - trips that allow them to discover the culture and history of their original land. These trips are often called "heritage tours."
Pearl has a sly look. She points at a little boy sitting with his family across the way in the Dairy Queen and says, "I know him!"
"Oh, really, where do you know him from?" I ask.
"He was a baby in China when I was a baby in China!" she says with a grin and a giggle.
This is no reunion. That boy is white with blond hair. We all laugh at Pearl, and she is so pleased with her silly self.
I am glad that Pearl loves to talk about her story and her homeland, even in telling her jokes. I love that she says "My China!" whenever she sees Chinese writing or anything else that represents that country to her.
When we went to China there was a family in our group that included a young girl who had been adopted from China as a baby. She was able to visit several points of interest from her own story while we were there. It was an amazing thing to think about.
Our adoption agency and many other organizations offer guided trips for children who were adopted from China - trips that allow them to discover the culture and history of their original land. These trips are often called "heritage tours."
Day 9 of Writing on Heritage
Good Reads
It is really difficult to put personal thoughts in words for this space. Attempting these 31 posts has given me even greater respect for those who have shared so well on subjects that are dear to me. Here are a few of my favorite blogs that have helped me make sense of our unique family heritage:
http://mymindonpaper.wordpress.com/
Kevin D. Hofmann is a bi-racial man who was adopted by white parents. His blog is a wonderful resource for transracial families. I appreciate that he makes a point of educating adoptive parents on how and how NOT to help our children and how willing he is to share his thoughts on a wide variety of racial issues.
For quick, wise advice start here: 5 Myths and 5 Truths About Race and Adoption
There was a strange time a few months ago when the deep issues surrounding adoption, orphan care, and family preservation were stirred into a sort of controversy and spread around the internet. This is a critical conversation, but so many seemed to willing to generalize about a subject that by nature resists that treatment. I wanted to address this in some way, if only to organize my own thoughts, and then I found this: Why Adoption Isn't Second Best. This post really helped me. Since then I have spent a lot of time reading other posts by Shannan on Flower Patch Farmgirl, and I really appreciate her thoughtful writing on adoption and life.
One of my first favorite blogs was Owlhaven. I love the practical advice that Mary Ostyn gives about running a large household and homeschooling. She has children that were born to her, children from Korea, and children from Ethiopia in her family, and I particularly appreciate the wisdom she shares about parenting teenagers! She has a great section on her blog detailing all of her adoption stories here.
It is really difficult to put personal thoughts in words for this space. Attempting these 31 posts has given me even greater respect for those who have shared so well on subjects that are dear to me. Here are a few of my favorite blogs that have helped me make sense of our unique family heritage:
http://mymindonpaper.wordpress.com/
Kevin D. Hofmann is a bi-racial man who was adopted by white parents. His blog is a wonderful resource for transracial families. I appreciate that he makes a point of educating adoptive parents on how and how NOT to help our children and how willing he is to share his thoughts on a wide variety of racial issues.
For quick, wise advice start here: 5 Myths and 5 Truths About Race and Adoption
There was a strange time a few months ago when the deep issues surrounding adoption, orphan care, and family preservation were stirred into a sort of controversy and spread around the internet. This is a critical conversation, but so many seemed to willing to generalize about a subject that by nature resists that treatment. I wanted to address this in some way, if only to organize my own thoughts, and then I found this: Why Adoption Isn't Second Best. This post really helped me. Since then I have spent a lot of time reading other posts by Shannan on Flower Patch Farmgirl, and I really appreciate her thoughtful writing on adoption and life.
One of my first favorite blogs was Owlhaven. I love the practical advice that Mary Ostyn gives about running a large household and homeschooling. She has children that were born to her, children from Korea, and children from Ethiopia in her family, and I particularly appreciate the wisdom she shares about parenting teenagers! She has a great section on her blog detailing all of her adoption stories here.
Wednesday, October 8, 2014
Day 8 of Writing on Heritage
Closure
There was a strange half-formed idea in my mind when we began the adoption process, that since we were adopting internationally we would bring the kids home and shut the door. That there would be a clear line between past and present. Turn the page, new chapter. A closed adoption.
In some ways it is like that, but in many important (and good) ways it is not. And I am just speaking for myself. My children will have their own sense of their story. Their interpretation of their story will belong to them.
I was able to see a documentary called Closure at the Created for Care event early this year. It is a remarkable, well-made film about an adopted daughter's search for her birth parents. Must-see stuff for any adoptive family or birthmother/father. The movie is very respectful in its treatment of all the people involved in her adoption story. Watching the way the young woman at the center of the film was completely supported in her search by her adoptive parents really impressed upon me the importance of giving my children space to put the pieces of their own story together.
Seeing this film also made me grateful for the ways in which our door is not closed completely. For their sake and for mine.
There was a strange half-formed idea in my mind when we began the adoption process, that since we were adopting internationally we would bring the kids home and shut the door. That there would be a clear line between past and present. Turn the page, new chapter. A closed adoption.
In some ways it is like that, but in many important (and good) ways it is not. And I am just speaking for myself. My children will have their own sense of their story. Their interpretation of their story will belong to them.
I was able to see a documentary called Closure at the Created for Care event early this year. It is a remarkable, well-made film about an adopted daughter's search for her birth parents. Must-see stuff for any adoptive family or birthmother/father. The movie is very respectful in its treatment of all the people involved in her adoption story. Watching the way the young woman at the center of the film was completely supported in her search by her adoptive parents really impressed upon me the importance of giving my children space to put the pieces of their own story together.
Seeing this film also made me grateful for the ways in which our door is not closed completely. For their sake and for mine.
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