About Me
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In 2008, Lisa (my wife) and I unsuccessfully finished our last rounds of fertility treatments. This was the end to many attempts of trying to have a baby. In 2011, an endocrinologist suggested that we consider changing our diet. The results of a food sensitivity test, indicated that we should eliminate sugar, grains and dairy from our diet. Lisa immediately implemented these changes. Two months later, we were pregnant.
We lost two babies. Many questions filled our minds and the answers were difficult to find. Many kind family and friends attempted to console us with reasons related to God's sovereignty. We appreciated these attempts very much, but it didn't make the loss any easier to deal with. We started to look at other sources for answers and ways in which to reconcile with our loss, our grief and our pain.
In 2014, our adoption agency matched us with a little boy in Ethiopia. We were thrilled and excited at the prospect of being a family of three. In 2015, we travelled to Ethiopia on two separate occasions, in order to complete the adoption and bring our son Solomon home. On the first trip, we travelled to multiple regions of Ethiopia. We saw the sights, walked the streets and interacted with the people. I realized that I held many misconceptions, some of which were racist, about other people. For the first time in my life, I also realized how disproportionately privileged we were as Westerners.
I never would have thought that diet could have such an impact on our lives. It appeared to have played a significant role in our fertility challenges. While dealing with the loss of our two babies, I asked questions about God and his sovereignty that I had never dared to ask before. Our attempts at reconciling with our loss, provoked me to look for answers that started me down a path of healing. Some of the answers that I found most helpful, came from sources I had never considered before. The trips to Ethiopia, helped me to see how narrow and skewed my view of people was, who were not like me.
The events that I described above, all forced me out of my "echo chamber", and encouraged me to listen to other perspectives. Contrary to what I had believed, these perspectives did not rob me of life, rather they enriched my life. These experiences have taught me that an irrational fear keeps us from listening to what is not familiar to us. This fear comes from a lack of knowledge. By overcoming this irrational fear, I have been able to learn and grow as an individual.
My goal to share ideas that I have been thinking about and implementing in my life. Some of them will resonate with you, and others will be contrary to what you believe or have experienced. Please share with me your feedback, questions and ideas, I look forward to reading them.
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