Periagoge
Concept
1 min read

The Heart as Dwelling Place

Creating internal and relational space where a child can be fully themselves, including their losses, questions, and dual identity.

Rabia
Why It Matters

Rabia spoke of making room in the heart for God's presence—a spaciousness that holds both longing and peace. For adoptive parents, the heart becomes a literal and metaphorical dwelling where a child can inhabit their full complexity: their gratitude and grief, their connection to adoptive family and curiosity about biological origins, their belonging and their otherness. This concept invites parents to resist the urge to resolve these tensions or ask children to choose one identity over another. Instead, we expand our capacity to hold contradictions alongside our children. The adoptive family becomes a place where a child's questions about "why was I adopted" or "do I belong here" are not threats to family stability but natural expressions of their journey. This mirrors Rabia's practice of making inner space for the full reality of human longing and divine love without requiring them to be neat or resolved.

Helpful guides
Rabia
Parenting & Community
Peri
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