The Joy of What Is...

I haven’t updated in forever!!  SO sorry!  Life has been so crazy!  In a good way though, so I’m hoping you’ll forgive my absence. 

I’ll start with an update.  ALL of the kids are back in school.  Joe is a Senior.  Kati is a Freshman.  Timothy is in Kindergarten.  Olivia is in First grade. 

Joe had his 17^th Birthday in July.  Olivia’s 6^th was in August.  Kati’s big 15 is coming in September, her Quincenaera (she wants to celebrate her Cuban/Latina heritage).  I made the invitations, and they will be in the mail tomorrow.   I can’t believe they are all growing up so fast.  

The “big” kids have all sorts of clubs, music stuff (Kati has band/marching band, and they both tried out for Show Choir this year(don’t know when we’ll know if they are in or not)).   Olivia’s doing two dance classes this year.  One is acrobatics, and the other is a combo tap/jazz/ballet class.   I think she is doing Daisies too.  We need to figure out something extracurricular for Timothy still.  Not sure what yet. 

For him first, we need to figure out his meds again.  He did pretty well on the Adderall, but now it’s like he’s not taking anything again, even on a double dose (doc told me to double it!).  So, we go to Iowa City to figure it out.  One good thing about taking the time to email the doc directly, SHE is the one who initiated the appointment so we got right in.  J

I have posted some random pics throughout the summer on my Facebook page.  If you aren’t my “friend” and want to be, just send me a request.  Hehe

I have ventured into something new!  A few years ago, before Olivia was born, I sold Tastefully Simple.  I had a GREAT time, made some new friends, and just really enjoyed getting out of the house and around adults a little bit (I do home day care you know, so adult conversation is a welcome change! Hehe).  I have thought about getting back to it but something always stopped me, time constraints, something with the kids, going to a foreign country to adopt a little sweetie pie… well, you get the picture.  J   A few months ago, a friend invited me to her “Origami Owl” Facebook page.  I joined, and looked at the products that she was selling, and loved it enough to buy one for my Mom for Mother’s day!   Just out of the blue one day I decided to try my hand at it too!  My Mentor (upline) is a very sweet young lady that I met at the hospital when my Dad was there the last time.  She was one of his favorite Respiratory therapists whenever he was there.  We’ve kept in touch through Facebook since he died.   So, I signed up and have been an “active” Origami Owl Designer for a little over a month now!  I have several online parties going on, most of them are fundraisers for adopting friends and I’m donating my commission to their adoption funds.  I have had one local party, and had a good turnout.  I booked two parties from it, and have two ladies signed up to become designers too!!  So, I have a total of NINE Designers in Waiting, ladies who will be active designers in October!   One of them already has people interested in signing up too!  I think I’ve found my niche’!  I was joking with my Mentor (Laura) last night and told her that I want to be like Carla when I grow up (one of our higher upline) and have a big downline, and lots of customers.  Hehe   I’m blessed. 

Speaking of blessings.  I want to share something that happened yesterday.  While it’s not entirely a blessing, it is.  Keep reading, you’ll understand. 

My sweet friend LouAnn and her family were committed to adopting a little boy in Ukraine.  Last year, when the Special Needs laws changed there, he became unavailable for international adoption.  They had the choice to wait for his fifth Birthday when he would be available, or choose another child.  He was the child that they felt was meant to be a part of their family, so they chose to wait.  The situation changed, they have moved to another state, they were surprisingly blessed with becoming pregnant, and the birth of their baby boy (just last week!), so they are transitioning into their new life, but still holding a place in their hearts and family for their other son, Jeremy. 

This week LouAnn got the call that all adopting parents dread.  Jeremy has been adopted by a family in his own country.  This is always a possibility when you are adopting internationally, it’s a gamble, but one that is weighted because most Ukrainians do not want the children with special needs, they are tossed away (you can read more about that if you read back around 2010 on this blog).  The news was devastating.  It’s not a call that you expect. 

Because of all of the changes, the new baby, just many other things going on right now, they don’t feel like it is the right time to proceed with choosing another child to adopt.  They talked about it, prayed about it, and made this decision with heavy hearts.

The way it works with the organization that they were using, if you don’t follow through with your adoption, the money that is in your “grant” fund, is left for the next family who decides to adopt that child.  When the child is not adoptable, the money is donated to other children, or families, and the original family gets to choose who to bless. 

LouAnn texted me yesterday and asked if I knew of any families who might need the money.  The name that came right to my mind was my friend Anne.  Her and her family have been through a really tough time with their whole adoption process and now find themselves awaiting their court date for a beautiful baby girl in EE whom they have already met and fallen madly in love with, but the finances might keep them from bringing her home.  I have prayed and prayed, and tried to help in ways that I could.   I have encouraged her to keep pressing on.  I just know that this is meant to happen.  I have only felt that way about two other families processes, and both have beaten the enemy and brought home their kiddos.  I just have this peace about Anne’s process too.   When I told LouAnn about my friend, she had a few questions, and I gave her a few details.  In the meantime, I messaged Anne, who just happened to be online, and asked her how things were progressing (I hadn’t talked to her in about a week). 

When it was all said and done, LouAnn and her family gave all of the money that they had in their fund to Anne and her family.   There were lots of tears on both sides, including here!   See, just the night before, Anne had been praying and telling God that she was weary, and she just didn’t think that they could keep fighting.  They love their little one, but they just didn’t feel like it would happen.  

God used a heartbreak to heal another heart.  The loss of one child for a family became the sign from God to another family to keep fighting, and keep believing that He was working things for His good.  

I’m heartbroken for one friend, but so happy for another.   God is good.  And, He has a plan.