New Addition – “The Easter Moose” by Catherine Marshall

“The Easter Moose: One Family’s Journey Adopting Through Foster Care” by Catherine Marshall is a great new addition to the Tapestry Books website! Below is a brief introduction to “The Easter Moose” from the author herself, Catherine Marshall!

“‘The Easter Moose‘ is not a how-to manual for those thinking about adopting children through foster care. Nor is it a cautionary tale. Many of the troublesome conditions plaguing foster adoption in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s were remedied by regulations. It is not a vendetta against social services. While there were difficulties with certain social workers and the court system, the county agency provided the necessary financial support for the children’s special needs. This story is also not a demonstration of therapeutic parenting. Little was known about attachment disorder at that time and mistakes were made.

I wrote ‘The Easter Moose‘ to tell a story that is rarely told. When I shared my experiences with other foster and adoptive parents, I was touched by how they had similar experiences and were haunted by feelings of frustration, loss and failure. Many foster and adoptive parents continue to suffer with guilt because their efforts did not result in happy-ever-after endings.

Like many foster-adopt parents of older children, I first believed nurture would triumph over nature. Adoption and foster care memoirs tend to reinforce that notion. Many popular books focus on the stories of successful adults who, by their own will and determination, overcame horrifying foster care experiences. There are also a few wonderful accounts of foster or adoptive parents navigating the hurdles of foreign adoption or raising children with special needs. While these memoirs are inspiring, I believe a different, but more common experience is worth sharing.

I hope the reader finds comfort, and maybe a dose of forgiveness and acceptance. ‘The Easter Moose‘ is for all parents who feel they have failed their children. In the end, we may never know the full affect our parenting had, and, at some point we must say to ourselves, we did the best we could.”

To order “The Easter Moose” by Catherine Marshall, click here!