Where is God in the cross of infertility?

About this episode

Shawn Hagstrom discusses her experiences with infertility and adoption, reflecting on faith and family.

Shawn Hagstrom, wife of Mike and mother of two adoptive children, Therese and Joseph, is also the grandmother of 11-year-old identical twin boys, James and Oliver. Shawn recently retired from her 40-year teaching career, through which she nurtured pre-school children in both secular and Catholic school settings. The Hagstroms, longtime residents of Fargo, also have a longtime marriage of 42 years. In her new life of retirement, Shawn has been enjoying spending time with her mother, going on nature walks, and riding bike. SHOW NOTES: "Dear Birthmother" book by Kathleen Silber and Phyllis Speedlin: https://www.amazon.com/Dear-Birthmother-Kathleen-Silber/dp/0931722209 ? National Infertility Awareness Week (NIAW) is observed from April 19 to April 25, 2026.

People in this episode

Host: Roxane Salonen

Guest: Shawn Hagstrom

Topics covered

• infertility
• adoption
• family
• retirement
• spirituality
• Christianity

Keywords

• infertility
• adoption
• Christianity
• family
• retirement
• nature walks
• teaching

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: National Infertility Awareness Week

Books & works: Dear Birthmother

More episodes of Matters of Soul Importance with Roxane Salonen

• Why couldn't I, a biological woman, be a man? · June 5, 2026 · 51 min
• What does hope in suffering look like? · May 29, 2026 · 1h 11m
• Should minors be able to access abortion? · May 15, 2026 · 1h 31m
• Can I talk to Jesus in the grocery line? · May 1, 2026 · 1h 4m
• Can sexual trauma be healed? · April 3, 2026 · 1h 22m
• What treasure did Stanley Rother, the first American martyr, leave his beloved Guatemalans? · March 20, 2026 · 1h 13m