just a cute photo that hopefully never becomes reality

national adoption month

another year, another November...another chance to grow a moustache recognize National Adoption Month.  and yet another time that i don't recall how i addressed this last year on this blog.  oh well...no time to go sifting through the archives.  if i'm repeating myself, it must be important....we are highlighting this at our church this week, so it seemed the perfect time to feature it here as well.  because i'm so passionate about adoption and orphan care, i often wonder if people assume that i think everyone should adopt.  believe it or not~ i don't!  really, truly, adoption is not for everyone.  i do, however, feel that every living breathing person with a beating heart should take up the cause to help care for those that need a voice, need a family, need to be loved.  this, of course, can take on many different forms.  and it just so happens there is something for everyone! :) 

Isaiah 1:17 says "Learn to do right: seek justice.  Defend the oppressed.  Take up the cause of the fatherless..."

how do i do this, you ask?  easy peasy, lemon squeasy....here are ten ways you can care for an orphan and waiting child...(taken from Christian Alliance for Orphans orphan care Sunday site)
1.  you can pray for them. (stick a waiting child's picture on your dashboard or fridge as a reminder)
2.  speak up for them. (pass the word about waiting kids you might know of~ there are 30,000 right here in Canada)
3.  provide for their needs. (give to a reputable orphanage.  i know one!  God's Littlest Angels in Haiti.  volunteer with your local CAS)
4.  support those who support them. (mow a lawn, babysit, offer a meal for foster parents.  pray for them, offer encouragement)
5.  protect them from harm. (become a foster parent or emergency foster parent)
6.  visit them where they are. (go on a mission trip~ look into the eyes of an orphan)
7.  give sacrificially to them. (support reputable organizations that are actively trying to alleviate the plight of the orphan and help "end the wait" for these children)
8.  encourage them to press on. (sponsorship, letter writing)
9.  adopt them into your family.
10. mobilize your church for them.

here are a few more links~ great resources and options available for anyone interested in lots of good information.

http://waitingtobelong.ca/
http://www.abbacanada.com/default.aspx

happy National Adoption Month!

i had a moment

i had a moment on Tuesday morning.  the kind of moment you wish you could freeze-frame in your brain and forever remember the details that truly made it, well...."a moment".  i didn't get to blogging that day (or even the next) to mark it in time, and i know that a select few of you were probably wondering where i'd gone...i should never have made myself so predictable....
anyway, i was standing by the coffee pot shortly after 7 am, sipping that first swallow of hot coffee.  nothing like the first sip, is there?  comforting delicious bliss that represents warmth, routine, sweetness, abundance, promise of the day ahead, and simply, "gezellig" goodness....so, yah...i was standing there, mostly awake and ready to tackle the day with coffee in hand.  there were kids to get moving, to feed, and out the door for school. 
enter~ AJ....little AJ in his blue "onesie" fleece pj's with covered feet and zippered front.  he walked into the brightness of the kitchen with squinty eyes and hair matted in an upward position with flat, patted down sides.  he must primarily sleep on his side.  there's a certain way he holds his mouth with his teeth showing and upper lip and nose kind of scrunched up.  he softly said "hi mom" and i simultaneously scooped him up into my arms.  he wrapped his legs around my hips and we snuggled there for a moment.  and it hit me.  sometimes i miss those opportunities, i know i do.  but that Tuesday, that moment i was 100% aware and present.  i said out loud in my head (does that make sense?? :)  well it does to me....) "what if i had missed this??"  it is just so hard to imagine...for almost two years AJ has graced our family with his sweet spirit and funny ways.  he fits.  yet, just over two and a half years ago (and all the years before) i didn't even know of the three year old boy that was about to intersect our world in every way that is good.  and only two years ago we were waiting on final paperwork to be processed to return to Ethiopia to bring him home. 
so, the morning hug~ it was meaningful.  it was a moment.  i'm blessed. 

lately

been busy around here lately....pumpkins, costumes, candy. 

 

i love fall and always have, but am a lot less fond of Halloween.  the volume of candy consumption, quite honestly, annoys me.  possessing costume creativity for the little tricker-treaters in this family is never a strong point.
 

 

somehow it all comes together every year... 

i'm happy when the 31st has come and gone.  yet, even in saying all of that, it is always fun seeing their excitement~ to see them having real and silly fun.  plus, the Reece's peanut butter cups my sweeties share with me help to soften my bad attitude a little as well....good thing....

one of the annual Halloween highlights for our crew is the wild and crazy church Harvest Party, followed by a trip to the house of a sweet couple, N&R.  our kids also refer to Mrs. N as "the nice lady"~ because one who is generous with candy must be nice, right?  :)  beyond the candy, she really is a beautiful example of someone who truly understands and loves the joy of giving.  every year she spoils our six (and even Jeff and I get a bag with something wonderful inside.  who does that????) with personal and creative bags made up of Halloween treasures.  this year the kids each got a bottle of Jones soda.  this is special stuff.  a real step up from the Kroger brand pop they are accustomed to.  AJ just about flipped his lid with excitement as he consumed this the next evening during supper. 

want a sip???  look closely, dear readers.....backwash much, AJ? 

that's more than backwash, that's nearly half a hamburger bun in the neck of that bottle...not to mention the floaties in the remaining orange soda.  gulp.  feeling a bit nauseous here, and he's my son....

so, as the carved pumpkins find their final resting place among the compost pile, it is time to shift gears to the approaching holiday season.  so much more worth celebrating, in my opinion.  and very soon the sights and sounds of Christmas will be evident through our home....love it!!!  might go dig out my CD's right now...

yonas

about Yonas....it's been a while since i updated this blog with news of Yonas.  for those few that have been reading ever since i first introduced Yonas to the original blog, bless your hearts for staying the course here at my family's own cyber journal...you must be saints. 
as some are aware, a group of families around us have all joined hearts and resources to share with this child on the continent of Africa.  he was in need of hope~ and i do believe he now possesses it.  that makes me smile.  a lot.  Yonas has a team of sponsors that desire to cloth him, feed him, provide for his ARV medications to be purchased, send him to school, etc.  they also pray for him, have sent letters and pictures to him, and continue to care for him even though he's a world away.  this is a beautiful thing....
yet, back when Yonas was first reached by the organization that cared for our AJ, his first desire was clearly communicated to the director doing the interviewing.  Yonas wishes for a family.  a forever family.  he hasn't known that in a very long time, if ever at all. 
so began the arduous phase of stone turning~ trying to find somehow, someway, someone who would give this kid a shot.  the latest development is the first real bit of progress seen in almost two full years.  introducing....Project Hopeful.  a friend of mine (thank-you D!!) mentioned this organization early on, and i contacted them about Yonas.  after much back and forth, just last week they posted Yonas under their "Waiting Kids" section, including this bio...

DOB: 1999
HIV+
Yonas lost both of his natural parents at an early age, to what is believed to be AIDS. He was recently (last November) diagnosed as HIV+ himself, and seems to be stabilizing very nicely on ARV meds since diagnosis. He is currently living with caregivers who provide shelter, but little more than that. They do not have the intentions or capability to care for him long term and they desire to find a permanent solution for Yonas. Yonas has expressed his heart's desire to be adopted
into a forever family. Yonas wishes to grow up and become a doctor, and when we met him we noticed his written English was excellent. He is a warm and smiley boy, yet his eyes reveal a short lifetime full of loss and weariness. When allowed to play with a soccer ball on the street, or perform
a dance routine with friends (he's got moves!) for our video camera, he was animated and fun and so delightful. He stole our hearts, and I'm certain if given the chance a family would be most blessed to call him their son!

as i've mentioned to his sponsors, this is a stretch from a purely human perspective.  there are many children under the Africa section, all with a personal story, all deserving a family.  this is a sad and difficult web site to visit.  these children are the most desperate ones.  the hopeless, the vulnerable, the forgotten.  yet, there is Hope.  hope with a capital H.  Hope for Yonas and others because now their stories are out there on the world wide web.  prospective adoptive parents can go there and register and read and see these kids.  and besides, God doesn't need a web site anyway.  this is a useful tool, yes.  but ultimately, i really don't know what the future holds for Yonas.  only his Maker does.  He has a plan, and it may just be to stay in country, to grow up in Ethiopia with sponsorship families stepping in for him until his future is more clear.  i don't know.  i do know that His plan is always best, and we will simply advocate for Yonas until the need is no longer there.  i will pray for a family for Yonas~ as this is his desire.  i will wait and trust and hope you will do the same.

thanks for reading, thanks for caring.  i will keep you posted...

 

 

 

autumn

not sure how it happened that every fall i get to witness the beautiful metamorphosis of three gorgeous trees lining my driveway.  seriously, these three are some of the nicest on the street.  great idea planting these, Mom and Dad...little did you know that one day your youngest would completely enjoy the incredible orange and red hues in the fall, and in the spring~ pink blossoms bursting forth, looking like yummy popcorn balls.

the pictures don't do them justice.  i'm not a photographer, yet...at least...

 

plus, i'm a few days past the peak of their beauty as many leaves are beginning to fall as the wind and rain tug at them...regardless, you get the idea.  i love the seasons and the comfortable predictability of expected changes.  so pretty!

cross country

i'm not the mom who thinks my kids are perfect, flawless little creatures who can do no wrong.  sometimes i confess to feeling disappointment in their choices or persistent hang-ups.  i'm sure they feel the same about me.  it's real life~ every day.  we all have room to grow...i have a lot of room, to be sure....but this day, the 2012 St. Clair Catholic District School Board's elementary cross country meet in Canatara Park, was not a day for disappointment.  my three kids showed up...BIG TIME!  and because i'm honest about shortcomings i think it's only fair to show pride in genuine accomplishments.  Miss Layla was first to run, and this was her first meet.  the air was crisp and removing her coat at the start line was not an easy task. 

 

 

 104 girls set off for the trail and Layla's red shirt was lost in the sea of competitors. but not at the finish line...no, not there. to our wonder and complete surprise the first shirt we saw rounding the corner at the end of the race was that of our feisty daughter. she crossed the line FIRST, and both Jeff and I were sort of speechless. i think Layla was stunned herself, and cried a few tears of emotional release for what had just transpired. plus, her hands were really cold...

 

i think the medal and ribbon helped her results sink in, and she was pretty pleased that she dug deep to finish strong.  she says she had a good idea she was in first when she passed a group of girls midway through the race, and then she held her own until the end.  wow...

 

below is adam with his teammates at the starting line.  i love Adam's growth this past year with his running ambitions.  he now whips me in the monthly 3 km race we do with the RoadRunners club (humbling....just a bit).  this past Saturday was no different.  he seems to be more excited about the sport than ever and ran like a champ.  he crossed the line 14th for his age group~ and that was out of 60 competitors.  awesome work, Adam!!!  love to see your effort and drive developing.

 

Miss Hannah...equally amazing to us on this day.  anyone who knows Hannah also knows we have some battles about participation in certain, fairly typical, sporting events that are open to girls her age.  she tends to resist for lots of different reasons.  this sport~ cross country, is one she seems to enjoy.  she attended practice faithfully without complaint and the trail runs are definitely her favourite. 

 

well...she brought it this year and improved greatly from the previous meet and standings. she flew across the line in 13th place with a look of strength and determination that was so fun to see. approximately 50 girls were in her category. 

 

 

once our feet thawed and our body temperatures returned to normal, we could look back on the morning in the park with great satisfaction.  there was great sportsmanship from the TCA competitors and a stronger overall finish than ever with lots of personal bests....

let it be known L, A, and H~ i'm so proud of you for giving your best!!! 

**note** some pictures are blurry because of the pure speed of the person captured in photograph. :)