Wednesday, February 13, 2008

I would gather children

Some would gather money along the path of life, some would gather roses and rest from worldly strife. But I would gather children from among the thorns of sin, I would seek a golden curl and a freckled toothless grin. For money cannot enter in that land of endless day, and roses that are gathered soon will wilt along the way. But Oh the laughing children, as I cross the sunset sea, and the gates swing wide to heaven, I can take them in with me.

~unknown


I have known this poem for so long, but it has really been getting to me lately. I have always thought it was cute, but now it makes me cry.


As I press in to the Lord this Lenten season, my prayer is that the Lord would break my heart with the things that break His. I was expecting something new. But how can I be surprised when He returns my heart to the fatherless. “Lord, I already know the need, my heart is already broken.” But I close my eyes, and again, I am overwhelmed by a sea of little faces.


Oddly, I have never really shared my passion for adoption here. In fact, I really haven’t shared it with most of my friends. Why? I think there are several reasons, but the biggest is that I fear I am so passionate that the message will be lost on the crazy messenger.


Why I am so passionate?


Because there are currently 143 million children in the world without a parent to love them.


Because if only 7% of Christians adopted 1 child, there would be no orphans in the world.


Because adoption is at the very heart of God.


Because I close my eyes, and again, I am overwhelmed by a sea of little faces.

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

You should ignore this post

Don’t say I didn’t warn you....

I think about politics. A lot. Always have really.

Ready to stop reading yet?

When I was 6, Ronald Reagan was running for reelection and I knew I had to do something to help. I made my mom take me to Rite-Aid for some poster board. I planned to march up and down my road carrying a sign I made to support Pres. Reagan. Who cares that there we only 3 homes on my tiny dirt road that led to nowhere. So I went to my big brother for help. VOTE FOR RONALD REAGAN! my sign would say, I just needed help spelling his name. R-O-N-A-L-D--R-O-L-A-I-D-S was my brothers response. I was infuriated. Righteous indignation! Not so much because he did it to me, but more because I believed he had disrespected the President of the United States of America. Plus it had taken a lot of convincing to get that first piece of poster board, I knew I wouldn’t be seeing another.

I was ridiculously excited to vote in my first election. Clinton won, but I was not deterred. I had so much hope for George W. Bush, and was thrilled when my guy won. But he really dropped the ball on several issues important to conservatives.

I have never had wont for an outlet to discuss my passion for politics. I worked in the newspaper business for many years and then academia. Both industries were ripe with individuals who hated my politics. Then you add the fact that I live just 6 miles from the DC beltway and you have a recipe for a lot of “spirited discussions”.

I spent every morning and every evening trudging around that beltway listening to talk radio. But by the time I quit my job to stay home, I was totally burned out. I told my husband (who is a total political junkie) I had given up on politics and only Jesus could save this country. I didn’t want to listen to it, read about it, talk about it, think about it.

Then Rob Schneck came to our church to speak this fall. He comes fairly regularly and is always enjoyable. Rev. Schneck heads a ministry called Faith and Action, and he is a missionary to Capitol Hill. He actually attended the same Bible college that I attended, and his teachings on the ten commandments were pivotal in my husband’s conversion. Anyway, this fall as he was teaching, he said something that has stuck with me. Forgive the paraphase, I can’t remember his exact words. But the gist was that in the US as a democracy, we are the government. We, the people have the authority to choose leaders and remove leaders. Given that authority is God granted (Rom 13:1), we must be good stewards of the vote that God has given us. It is a matter of stewardship.

So after a long sabbatical, my mind returned to politics. But I see things differently than I did before. I have been disillusioned in the most positive sense of the word. With equal if not greater passion, I am redirected, refocused.

Today I fulfilled the obligation of stewardship.

I have so much to say...

Saturday, February 02, 2008

Little Milestones

I know I have been MIA again. I think the problem is that I have so much I want to say that I don’t know where or how to begin. Well, and then there have been the other blogs... I have posted a ton to several other blogs in the last 2 weeks. It seems everyone has topics that get me fired up and I have been up typing til the wee hours everywhere but here. Between these blogs and some other things going on in my life, I have so many thoughts I want to get out. But if I begin typing I may never stop.

However, some significant things have happened in my little boy’s life in the last 2 weeks of *silence*. And I want to be sure I keep his posts current.

Last Saturday was our very first Gotcha Day! It is also Harrison’s cousin, Brayden’s birthday. Tim, being an adoptee, thinks Gotcha Day is silly and always thought it was just something his little sister made up to get extra presents. But the day means a lot to me and I was so excited to celebrate so Tim got in the spirit. I think he gets it more now that he is a daddy.

The only problem was we didn’t really think things through. We planned a full day: at Brayden’s birthday party all day and then off to the toy store for a special present, then out to dinner as a family to celebrate Gotcha Day. Well the birthday party prevented a nap, so by the time we got to the toy store he was asleep. We picked a toy, while he snoozed in the stroller and then headed to dinner. We met my mom in the parking lot with a very over-stimulated, over-tired toddler on the verge of a meltdown. We reached the decision that it would not be a very fun Gotcha Day celebration for him if he was being corrected the whole time, and we headed home. Pizza and pajamas would have to suffice for a celebration, but at least we could enjoy each other.

The other significant moment in my little boys life came the night before Gotcha Day. And it was just tragic! For Mommy, not for Harry. He had been refusing to go to bed at night, screaming his head off for 30 - 40 minutes every night for over 2 months. It always had to be Mommy who put him to sleep and the screaming occurred no matter what I tried. And I tried EVERYTHING! so this night, in his screaming fit he points across the room. I begin asking what he wants naming things, until finally I realize he is pointing to the twin sized bed in his room. I was exhausted of his antics so I put him in the big bed. That was it. Happy as a clam, he went to sleep and has refused his crib everyday and every night since. My baby isn’t even 2 and he is in a big boy bed. He wasn’t a baby long enough! We had exactly 1 year, 365 days of our baby in a crib. Boo-hoo!

Those are the only two Harrison updates. I have a lot more I’d like to type about, but that will have to wait for now.