What NATA DAY is Not!

By:  D Craig Peterson NATA Day is coming June 19th. Let me tell you what it’s not. It’s “not a” day to be alone. All families need support. Wear a blue ribbon and tell others what it means. It’s “not a” day to be angry. Sure, go ahead and vent if you need the emotional […]

Once Upon a Mountain

By:  Julie Beem Once Upon a Mountain is a great title for this documentary, which is so full of the ethereal beauty of Jasper Mountain.  Heck, the children even get to live in a castle.  The dormitory building was designed to look like a castle, at the children’s request.  And as Jasper Mountain’s director, Dr. […]

The Dark Matter of Love

By:  Julie Beem Just like an integral ballroom dance, the dance of attachment between a parent and their newly adopted child is both difficult to do and so beautiful to watch.  In this film we get the rare opportunity to meet a family prior to their adoption, as they prepare to bring home three children […]

My Name is Faith

By:  Julie Beem Brave is the only way to describe this film.  My first brush with this bravery was in New Orleans over two years ago, where I met Tif Junker, Faith’s mom and attended a film festival where My Name is Faith was one of the featured contestants.  Although the audience was small in […]

THE BOARDER: BRINGING TRAUMA TO LIFE

By:  D Craig Peterson A film can be powerful – especially in giving victims a voice. Think Precious or Schindler’s List. But could a 100-minute dramatization show the challenges of parenting severely unattached children? The answer is yes. In 2012, Jane Ryan – a long-time parent of children from hard places and a clinician – […]