Friday, December 31, 2010

HAPPY NEW YEAR!



Take twelve whole months.
Clean them thoroughly of all bitterness,
hate, and jealousy.
Make them just as fresh and clean as possible.

Now cut each month into twenty-eight, thirty, or
thirty-one different parts,
but don’t make up the whole batch at once.
Prepare it one day at a time out of these ingredients.

Mix well into each day one part of faith,
one part of patience, one part of courage,
and one part of work.
Add to each day one part of hope,
faithfulness, generosity, and kindness.
Blend with one part prayer, one part meditation,
and one good deed.
Season the whole with a dash of good spirits,
a sprinkle of fun, a pinch of play,
and a cupful of good humor.

Pour all of this into a vessel of love.
Cook thoroughly over radiant joy,
garnish with a smile,
and serve with quietness, unselfishness,
and cheerfulness.
You’re bound to have a happy new year.

Friday, December 24, 2010

Inspiring Words.

Do not undermine your worth by
comparing yourself to others.
It is because we are different
that each of us is special.

Do not set your goals by what
other people deem important.
Only you know what is best for you.

Do not take for granted the things
closest to your heart.
Cling to them as you would your life,
for without them, life is meaningless.

Do not let your life slip
through your fingers
by living in the past or the future.
By living your life one day at a time,
you live all the days of your life.

Do not give up when you
still have something to give.
Nothing is really over until the
moment you stop trying.
It is a fragile thread that
binds us to each other.

Do not be afraid to encounter risks.
It is by taking chances
that we learn how to be brave.

Do not shut love out of your life by
saying it is impossible to find.
The quickest way to receive
love is to give love.
The fastest way to lose love
is to hold it too tightly.

In addition, the best way to keep
love is to give it wings.
Do not dismiss your dreams.
To be without dreams
is to be without hope.
To be without hope
is to be without purpose.

Do not run through life
so fast that you forget
not only where you have been,
but also where you are going.
Life is not a race,
but a journey to be savored
each step of the way.

Friday, December 10, 2010

Lovely princess.

She had already found a place in our hearts and was there to stay.



Once our eyes are opened, we can't pretend we don't know what to do. God, who weighs our hearts and keeps our souls, knows that we know, and holds us responsible to act.
(Proverbs 24:12).
Any amount of waiting by a child without a family, is too long.

Adoption...

Adoption is not a secondary method of becoming parents. It's the choice that God has planned for you since before you were born. It just takes us a little longer to realize when adoption is His parenthood plan for us.

Sunday, December 5, 2010

Mayonnaise Jar & 2 Cups of Coffee.

I was reading one RR family blog and really liked this devotion.
A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous . . . "yes."

The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

"Now," said the professor, as the laughter subsided. "I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things; God, family, children, health, friends and favorite passions, things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.

The pebbles are the other things that matter; like your job, house, and car.

The sand is everything else; the small stuff."

"If you put the sand into the jar first", he continued "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you.

So pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your partner out to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal. Take care of the golf balls first, the things that really matter. Set your priorities, the rest is just sand."One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented. The professor smiled.

"I'm glad you asked; it just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend."

Thank you for all of your love, prayers, and support.
Thank you for being one of my "golf balls"

Saturday, December 4, 2010

Are you ready?

Little Dana is a very fair, blonde haired little girl who is four years old and has Treacher Collins Syndrome. She was born in the summer of 2006. She is very bright and inquisitive. Her caregivers says she smiles with a sense of understanding. Her ears and hearing are affected by this syndrome but she has a Baha implanted hearing device. This has improved her ability to hear and they doctors say she does not have nerve damage. She otherwise has normal development according to the psychologist. We believe she may have had a cleft palate which was repaired but this was not on her medical report. She is being placed as a special needs child.

How our adoption will work.

Our adoption process will be a little different than some. First, we chose a country to pursue. Then we do all of the paperwork and fulfill the requirements before we travel. When we travel we will be given a referral of a chid. If the child we originally considered is available, then she will be referred to us. If not, then we can know that God has used her as an instrument to lead us on this journey to reach another child. We are not actually 'preselecting' her, but there are not many families interested in adopting these children with special needs, so the chances are VERY good that she will be waiting. If she is not then we would ask for a referral of a 4-6 yr old girl with Special needs and go from there. Soon I will tell you some more about Lorraine.

Is Adoption Expensive?

Often it seems that one of the first things people think of when they hear the word adoption is “Wow, I’ve heard that’s really expensive.”
So, is adoption expensive? I think that largely depends on how you define expensive. Adoption most definitely does require a major commitment from parents -- emotionally and financially.
How much does adoption cost?
I will speak only for international adoption, since I’m not very familiar with domestic adoption. International adoption ranges from about $20,000 to $40,0000 and is largely dependent on the country from which one is adopting. Our adoption from Eastern Europe will cost around $25,000 - $30,000. This includes the home study, Adoption agency fees, Eastern Europe fees, fees for immigration paperwork, travel, and other miscellaneous expenses.
Why is adoption so expensive?
On the surface it seems that since there are so many children in need of homes that adoption should be free. In an ideal world, that would be the case. (Of course, in an ideal world, there also wouldn’t be any orphans.) Adoption is a very complex process with different parties involved every step of the way. There are social workers, administrators, government employees, caregivers, and others. All these people are compensated for the work they do (just like the rest of us are when we go to work everyday). When you consider everything that takes place in the adoption of a child (and in caring for the child up to the time he/she is placed in a new home), the expense of adoption begins to make a lot more sense.
As a side note, there seems to be among some people an idea that international adoption is full of corruption and that countries are profiting from “selling” babies to wealthy couples. I’m sure there are isolated instances of corruption in some countries, but I assure you that no one is getting rich in international adoption. Caring for children in orphanages or foster homes is very expensive, and the agencies/orphanages in foreign countries use adoption fees to help cover their expenses.
When I think about the enormity of what is taking place in an adoption – transferring parental rights from one party to another (especially when the parties involved live in two different countries on opposite sides of the world) – the complexities and expenses involved make a lot more sense. In a way, it wonderfully illustrates the high value of human life. (and by value, I am not referring to monetary value, but to the innate worth of human life) It shouldn’t be a simple process to move a child to a new country, a new culture, a new home, and most of all, to the care of new parents. If it were simply a matter of making a few phone calls and getting a child a few days later, I think it might on some level cause us to look at children as a commodity and miss seeing how incredibly valuable these little lives are. (Don’t get me wrong – I do wish adoption were a faster, easier, and less expensive process, but I appreciate the beauty in what’s represented by the anticipation, preparation, and cost involved in adoption.)
I’m afraid that many people let the expense of adoption keep them from seriously considering it for their families. If God has placed adoption on your heart, please don’t dismiss it because you think it’s just too expensive. If God leads you to adopt, He will provide the funds for that adoption. Now, His provision will almost certainly not be money falling from the sky and will most likely involve sacrifices on your part – quite likely big sacrifices, but I assure you that adopting a child will be worth every sacrifice you make.
I looked up expensive, and one definition I found is “price paid only for something special.” I like that definition. Something very special – and totally worth the long wait, emotional rollercoaster, and financial sacrifice! :-)

The process begins.

Maybe this is a bit premature, but I figured you have to start somewhere. I'm at the very beginning of the process...sort of. The seed was planted in my heart years ago when I was a teenager..and I've been praying about and researching adoption for years. Finally, I've decided to take the first step and I'm trusting God to lead the way.
FAMILY... something that every child deserves but a blessing that many thousand children will never know. These children are abandoned in orphanages...they had no choice..no control over where they were born or where they live, but each child was placed on this earth by God and they have a purpose. I know that my purpose is to be a mother to one of these children. To give them a home...security...Love. To show them God's Love and teach them about their Savior. Please pray for me and the special child I'm meant to find. This journey will be hard and also very costly. I am trusting God to provide the funds for my adoption. If you feel led to donate, please click the link.
Any amount of waiting by a child without a family, is too long.
Please pray for us as we embark on this exciting journey that God has for us.