Wednesday Musings

Walk around my country block.  40 minutes.

Walk around another country block. 30 minutes.

Remembrance Assembly at school.

Remembering past Remembrance Days.

Slow cooker Lamb Chops stew. Prepared and on.

Quiet. Sunny. Clear. Fresh.

Life a continuum of being.  In the being is change. In the change is being.

Life full of news. Personally. Locally. Nationally. Globally.

National politics.  Local crime. 

Good news stories in amongst the rabble and rubble.
Digging is good for the soul.

Good for the morale.

 

Slugs and Sunshine

Beautiful day for a walk.
Beautiful morning for a walk.
6:50 am.

The sun is shining brightly.

The slugs are transmigrating.  Lots of them on one part of the road.

 

 

The sun was beautiful through the trees.  Not much traffic.  I walk on a secondary, quieter road through the village.

 

 

Little Bird Library on my way is opened any time of the day or night.

All's quiet here in this peaceful place. 

Potholes, potholes, potholes.  Soon to be gone though.

 

 

Boot Island lays there sunning herself.  Seventy years ago a family lived on that island.  Babies were born there.  They farmed the land.  It used to be attached to the mainland but the tides washed over the land so that at high tide, she became an island.  They moved off the land as a result.

 

 

Newly paved.  Nice for walking.  Looking towards Hortonville and Grand Pre.

Maple seeds.  Waiting.

 

Looking at part of the village.

Shadows on the way home.

Cat drinking at puddle before darting away.

View on the way home.

Looking across to North Grand Pre.

Home stretch.

My little garden.  Well saturated with all the rain we've been getting this past week.

Pumpkin patch in the back where the stakes are planted.



Beautiful Saturday.

Sunny.

Filled with hope and sunshine.

Have a wonderful day.

Flippin' My Friday

Fridays come and Fridays go.  Already it's supper time here.  After 6 pm.

We had a usual day.  School for child.  Work for dh. 

And then me. 

I chauffeured child to school.  Missed the bus.  Child is ready for summer vacation.

I took my 60+ minute walkabout through three little villages.

I changed the bed linens on two beds.  Tidied up the kitchen which means I washed dishes and put them away, and emptied out the dishwasher.

I rested a little as I haven't been feeling quite up to snuff this week.  I don't know if it's the weather being so bloomin' dreary and drizzly and grey all week, or what.

I took a look at my little vegetable garden in between the rain this week.  I am so excited to see progress.  Too much rain is not good.  Seeds and transplants need the sun, too.

I entertained a guest this afternoon around the time child got home from school.  It is always nice to connect after long periods of not.

Ordinary day.  Yes.

Even boring and dull.

But,

I know that there are children in the world who brighten up my day and who are lights in this dreary world.

They are the children and adults at Kalinovka orphanage in Ukraine.  I think of them everyday and I think of the people I've come to know through the internet who are making a difference in their lives.

I mention again Maya's Hope and Reece's Rainbow.  Lights in the darkness.  I have come to realize that Happy Child Foundation in Ukraine also is another light in their lives. 

There are umpteen individuals who make it their goal to visit the orphanages in Ukraine to offer assistance through their presence to these children.  I like to call this Presence Theology.  God present.  Being like God to the children and adults who live and work at the orphanage.

Others who advocate for them in their own countries both in North America and Europe.

Lights all!!!

God love them all!!!

I know that when I see these children's faces (and the youth and adults, too), I see the face of God.  Every one of them has God in them.  Everyone of them!!!  When I see them, I know I am experiencing something of the love of God and the presence of God.

They are lights to me lighting my path and my life and making it a bit better simply because God has made herself known through them, and has chosen to show me.  God is present in each and everyone of them.

On dreary Fridays and any other day of the week, let us be happy people when we realize that those with good and loving hearts live in this world with us.  Those who need us and those who respond to the need are God being present with us.  Loving hearts.  Good hearts one and all.

Happy weekend everyone!!!

May your souls be rocked and blessed as you experience God in the ordinary and in the unexpected because it's so very ordinary.

Do you see God?  I do.

 

Thirsting for Justice

I wrote this one on 25 April 2013.  I had to put it in draft because I didn't know what else to say.  I decided that I couldn't say any more.  Here are my thoughts from that day.

I must admit that I have shed tears over the last two or three weeks whenever I think of the children who are abandoned, neglected, abused, left as orphans. 

We're told to look after the widow and the orphan (James 1:27) and to keep ourselves from being polluted by the world in the process.

I suppose we could become corrupted and skewed in this work of looking after the widow and the orphan.  It is not a work for the faint hearted.  It is difficult work and hard work.  It takes dedication and commitment.  It takes your energy and your time along with your money and your possessions. 

In the process you learn a little about self sacrifice; about sharing; about what is important; about what really counts to make it all worth it.

I think the thing for me is that to love and to be loved are indeed the greatest things I will experience while I live here on earth.  We get one kick at the can and it's got to be a good kick; a good dose of loving and of being loved.

My heart has ached when I see the pictures and get an impression of the circumstances of the children and youth.

I saw quite by accident and quite randomly today a video of a documentary about the Children of Leningradsky - Part 1/3 HQ who live at the train station in Moscow.  I cried again.

Children of Leningradsky - Part 1/3 HQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfXyMLUshX4

I can not believe a community of people would allow this neglect and abuse to be so rampant in their very midst.  I shook my head and cried at the thought of the way these children survive in a world that ignores them and hates them for being who they are.  Yet they are who they are because of their community, their nation.  I hung my head and cried.


 

Windy Wednesday

A beautiful day!

Sunny!

Bright!


A day worth living!

Corn is beginning to push itself out of the ground.

The animals are being born and enjoying new life.

Flowers are in bloom.

Life goes on.

Yet, on this beautiful day, here in my secure place in my country, I think about the children and youth who struggle to live.  They struggle to survive within oppressive systems that see them as disposable and less than human.

I sit here. Words nearly escape me when I think of the countless faces I have seen. 

Oppressive systems that adults continue to maintain that take away their youth.  Children and youth are dying in these institutions.  I wonder how long is it going to continue.  How long are the people of the world going to abuse their life blood.  How long is it going to take before they realize that children are our hope and our sustenance. 

All children are precious!!  When are we going to see that we have much to learn from them.  When are the adults of the world going to figure out that everyone is indeed a gem worthy of love and care and all those things that make us fully human, fully loved.

Children need love.  Young people need love.  They need people who care about them and who want them to be happy, healthy and loved.

On this bright, beautiful, sunny Canadian spring day, I look at the beauty and I see all those faces of all of those children who in the beauty of our world look for their own beauty.  They yearn for their own fulfillment.  They hope for their own springtime so that they, too, can grow and blossom from the love they receive.

We need to tend to them as gardeners and farmers tend to their flowers and vegetables, with love, patience and perseverance.

When we treat all of our children with a sense of justice and love, then we as a community and we as a nation of people will reap the rewards of caring for the least of these, our people.

We will know how great we are when we look into the faces of the children and youth we care for and whom we actively love into their full potential.

http://tosavea-life.blogspot.ca/2013/05/dear-della.html

www.reecesrainbow.com

www.mayashope.org

www.chalice.ca/

and many, many others who work on behalf of children in need.

Let's take the time to love our children.  To really show our children how much they truly are worth.  For they truly are the priceless gems in our gardens. 





 

Dandelions and Daily Living

 

 

Life sometimes feels like it is unchanging.  Yet, all around me is life - new life.  The trees are leafing up.  The flowers and vegetables are beginning to come up through the ground.

 

And, yes, the dandelions are back!

Our lawn was full of them today.

 

How I love them!

 

They're bright.

 

 

They're yellow.

 

They're beautiful.

 

 

 

 

I just love them.

 

 

 

And, our resident Ms Sophie the cat enjoyed the outdoors, too.

 

It was almost like she was posing for me as I clicked away on the camera.

 

Life - always changing.

 

Always open for hope.

 

It is hope that I have  today for the children and youth living in orphanages around the world.

 

Hope that their countries will realize their full value and will take the steps to ensure their safety and security and good health.

 

Hope that they will be loved by parents and siblings.

 

Hope that it will all work out for them.

 

Hope that it will begin right now wherever they are and that their situations will improve right now. And that they will know real love and concern. And that they will be able to own it.  Own the hope.   Own the love.  Own the belonging that family provides.

 

Hope in today's changing world.

 

I think the dandelions brought it to me this day.

Friday Frolics

What a week!  What a day!  Rain or no rain! Damp or dry! It switched between the two all week.  But I managed to walk each and every day as I have for the last several months.

 

I have to tell you.  I think I saw Gawd.

 

Yes.  I said Gawd (I prefer to spell it this way, thank you.)

 

I've been doing a couple of fundraisers for two organizations close to my heart.  One involves selling items on a virtual yard sale website. 

 

I had a lady come to pick up her $5 round Toy Story themed chair.  It's a great little chair for preschoolers and toddlers.  My own girl, though, hardly ever sat in it in the three years she owned it.  She got too tall and lanky for it.  But she loved it because of Buzz and Woody and all their friends.

 

 

 

The lady picks it up. We chat for 20 seconds and she said, "Here, I want you to take this $10."

 

I said, "I don't feel comfortable taking more than what I asked for it."

 

She proceeded to tell me that she appreciated the fact that I had this chair and was selling it to her.  She had looked for it as a gift to her son but to no avail.

 

I said okay then even though I hesitated.  I didn't want to take money from her that I didn't feel that I had earned.

 

Without hesitation, she gave me a hug and left.

 

I thought, "Wow! from a perfect stranger indeed!"

 

I thought about it since it happened in the early afternoon, and for sure I saw the face of Gawd in this woman.

 

And this reminded me in the last few minutes that every time my own child says to me, "Mom Kist me." And I do.  I kiss the sweet cheek and sometimes the other.  I'm experiencing Gawd again.

 

Gawd delights me.  Gawd makes me happy.  Gawd knows how to make me feel good inside.

 

So thank you to this stranger who really isn't a stranger anymore, and to my precious little child for allowing me to see the face of Gawd in them this very day.

 

Hallelujah! and Amen!!!  I love how Gawd communicates with me.

 

Happy Victoria Day weekend to you all.  I hope Gawd reveals herself to you in a most gentle, loving, amusing way.

 

 

Just Say YES!!! to Brett!!!

Today's Monday.

It's sunny and breezy warm.  A great day to be in the garden.

We - and I say that somewhat lightly as I am the one doing all the manual labour - plan to grow sunflowers, and I have also been transplanting lupines along the fence.  The fence is 78 feet long and it has full sun light all day.  I look forward to the transformation!!!  I look forward to the results of my hard work.

When I started this project late last week.  I worked on the part you see in the picture. I got about 10 feet done. 

In the end I stopped because I couldn't hold back the tears as I thought about all the children who are in orphanages and mental institutions because of special needs or because they were not wanted by their parents.

I cried so much I had to leave the gardening for another day.  I did  go back to it on another day, and again as I turned and twisted the earth to get the weeds and the grass out, I thought about the children. 

The hundreds of thousands, the millions - I can barely imagine that number.  It astounds me.  It frightens me - who are left abandoned in these institutions mostly because of some disability; namely because of Down Syndrome.

I want to tell you about a young man.  He's 11 years old and he was abandoned by his mom on the very day he was born on 23 August 2001.  He was left in a field to die.  He laid there for hours before he was found by someone who rescued him.  By that time, he was covered in bug bites, hypothermic , unresponsive, and in shock. He had a very tough start to life and he survived.

At the age of three, however, he was placed in an adult mental institution.  Think about it.  From a baby orphanage to an adult mental institution at the age of three!!!

He lives there every day, 24 hours a day seven days a week 52 weeks a year because he has no one who has stepped up to say, "I'll take him and make him my son."

The child needs a family.  He needs a mom and a dad, sisters and brothers who love him and the whole gamete of aunts and uncles, cousins and grandparents who will show him what it is to BE LOVED.  Then, I know he will love you back in return.  So unconditionally.  So purely.  So freely.

He wants and needs a family.

Here he is.  His profile name is Brett.  He is from eastern Europe and lives in difficult circumstances where he receives no formal education, no mama's hugs and kisses, no father's warmth or concern with just barely enough to eat and where he owns absolutely nothing.

This is a recent picture of Brett. He also has alopecia, which is why he lost his hair. But it is treatable.  My own child has it.  It is more common in people with Down Syndrome than with others.  Stress sometimes brings it on. I look forward to when his hair grows back.




This a picture of Brett when he was younger. 



He is ready for the experience of a lifetime.  He is ready for a real family who will show him what it means to be part of something wonderful, something beautiful, something brighter than what he has now.

He looks for you to come for him.

Know that you will not be alone in the costs associated with getting him home.  People will encourage you by helping you with your fundraising.  People will be praying for you and for him.  People will be silently cheering you on as you take this step of faith to become his parent(s), his family.  People will shout from the skies when you say YES! to Brett.

Give him careful, heartfelt consideration.  He's worth every ounce of energy and cost you will incur.  You will have something extraordinary in your life for the rest of your life when you say Yes to Brett. 

You want to know God, get to know Brett.  Then you will be able to say that you've met God.  For he is made in the beautiful, perfect image of God.  He waits for you.  Go get him.  You will never regret the decision.


Just say YES to Brett!!!

Here's another blog about Brett.  A lot of people care about him and think about him, maybe even when they do their gardening, too.

http://crazy-arewethereyet.blogspot.ca/2013/05/nobodys-child.html

 

Doin' a Jig and Rejoicin'

I was so very happy on Thursday night and Friday morning.  Children I've been following on Reece's Rainbow had grant increases.  My heart soared and my spirits picked up immensely.

Here are three of them:

Natalija L60

Girl, Born on March 16, 2001

This blue-eyed, blonde-haired beauty needs a loving family to thrive in! Natalija is described as active and friendly. She doesn’t like to be told “no” or be reprimanded, and cries as a result (aaahh, girls!). Natalija likes to play games with her peers, even if she doesn’t quite understand the rules. She is friendly and responsive, and is very loving towards her caregivers and friends. she is very good at playing independently and focusing on the task in front of her. She is stubborn sometimes, but I have found that this is a common trait of children with Down syndrome! Natalija does have a few words and basic self-service skills. She can dress and undress without help, and also eats and drinks unassisted.


Older parents, larger families, and single moms welcome.

$7237.20 is available towards the cost of my adoption!

Emil

Born December 1999
Diagnosis: cerebral palsy and down syndrome
From someone who met him in 2012:
Emil was the gentlest child ever! Unable to talk but the pleading in his eyes killed me! He grabbed my finger and wouldn’t let go…what a grip! He also got really hit a few times by others wanting my attention, he didn’t retaliate but fell in a heap and moved away, only to return when the coast was clear. I would love to see this child in a nurturing environment!

$3883.50 is available towards the cost of my adoption!

 

 

and

 

 Katrina

Girl, Born December 2001
Oh what a miracle, to have an updated photo of Katrina!!!    And there is the light I  knew had to be there!   She doesn’t realize it, but now that she has a profile here on Reece’s Rainbow, Katrina has a CHANCE…a chance for a new life, a family of her own, to get out of these four walls and to have something to smile about.
From her medical records:  Down syndrome, significant cognitive delay (coupled with FAS), flatfoot, partial atrophy of optic nerves, esotropia, secondary cardiomyopathy.
From a missionary who visited with her in March 2012: Oh my heart…I so wanted to bring her home!   She is a giggly soft hearted darling…she needs a mama!
Katrina and Tania can be adopted together if a family is approved and interested.   Families should be HS approved (or close to it) prior to commitment.   10 day wait often waived here.  Married couples only, larger families welcome, travel required.

$5023.30 is available towards the cost of my adoption!

 

My heart soared.  I was so happy to see this. 

 

These are three children who need a loving family who care about them and love them.  They need to know a family's love and concern.  My heart melts every time I see their lovely faces.  I so wish I could do more for them.

 

Instead I write on this little unknown blog hoping someone somewhere will see and understand and help.

 

My eyes are watering right now as I put this little write-up together.  The needs of these children are truly great, and yet the gesture of donating to their fund or even taking steps to adopt them would be a God send for these children.

 

I hope that for all the tears I shed, that something good will rise out of the soil of these lives so that they may grow and bloom.  A family's love would allow that to happen.

 

So, in my thoughts and in my prayers I remember sweet Natalija, Emil and Katrina along with all the other boys and girls, named and unnamed, who need us to care for and love them regardless of geography, distance, time, space.

 

Love them I will.  For they are God's children to be loved and to love.  I hope families will step forward and say, "That's my child. Let's go get him or her."

 

May God bless all the dear children tonight as they sleep or are awake.  May they be protected from evil and injustice.  May the God of love surround them and be with them in their suffering and in their yearning for people who truly care about them.

 

I pray it will be well with their little souls.

 

 

Thirsting for Justice

I must admit that I have shed tears over the last two or three weeks whenever I think of the children who are abandoned, neglected, abused, left as orphans. 

We're told to look after the widow and the orphan (James 1:27) and to keep ourselves from being polluted by the world in the process.

I suppose we could become corrupted and skewed in this work of looking after the widow and the orphan.  It is not a work for the faint hearted.  It is difficult work and hard work.  It takes dedication and commitment.  It takes your energy and your time along with your money and your possessions. 

In the process you learn a little about self sacrifice; about sharing; about what is important; about what really counts to make it all worth it.

I think the thing for me is that to love and to be loved are indeed the greatest things I will experience while I live here on earth.  We get one kick at the can and it's got to be a good kick; a good dose of loving and of being loved.

My heart has ached when I see the pictures and get an impression of the circumstances of the children and youth.

I saw quite by accident and quite randomly today a video of a documentary about the Children of Leningradsky - Part 1/3 HQ who live at the train station in Moscow.  I cried again.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfXyMLUshX4

I cannot believe a community of people would allow this neglect and abuse to be so rampant in their very midst.  I shook my head and cried at the thought of the way these children survive in a world that ignores them and hates them for being who they are.  Yet they are who they are because of their community, their nation.  I hung my head and cried.

So, once I get over my tears that come unannounced on some days, I will do what I can to help someone somewhere to know better circumstances and to know that people cared for them and genuinely loved them; and wished them well.

A small drop in the bucket when I realize that on YouTube you can access just about any video of orphaned children from anywhere in the world.  The task of social justice is a big one. 

But it only takes one to change the world.  It only takes one to make a difference.  Are you that one????

Happy Thursday!
 

Trying for Tuesday

I get so frustrated when I see children who are neglected and suffering from the lack of love and care. 

My heart cries and cracks under the strain of the neglect.  My heart cries out for justice and for these children who need to be rescued and cared for by loving people.

I can barely believe I am using the word 'rescued'.  Rescuing children!  We rescue cats and dogs, horses and wild animals.  Now, children need to be rescued.

They need to be saved from ultimate death due to neglect and abuse.  I am so sickened by this reality in the lives of thousands of children throughout the world.  Maybe it is millions of children around the world.  I have a feeling it could be.  But my mind can barely grasp that there is even one child who suffers from any kind of neglect and abuse at the hands of care givers and administrators and people!!!

Here's a group of children who need you.  They need to know that there is a different kind of normal; a better kind of normal.

These are some of the kids at Orphanage 50.  Take a look at the website and see the other children who need help.  They need care and attention.  They need families who love them and take responsibility for their well being.  THEY NEED HELP!!!

http://reecesrainbow.org/category/waitingbycountry/ee-1/orphanage-50

Casey

Born June 1997
Cerebral palsy, significant mental delays, seborrheic dermatitis

Casey is very sweet.   He is bedridden, yet full of smiles.  He desperately needs a family to save him.
Travel required;  married couples only.  Large families welcome.

$1745.30 is available towards the cost of my adoption!

 

Caesar

Boy, born 1999
Multiple congenital malformations, Cornelia de Lange syndrome, severe mental delays, congenital pseudarthrosis right clavicle, congenital partial atrophy of the nerves of both eyes, capitate hypospadias, hypotrophy of the 2nd stage of mixed origin

$20.00 is available towards the cost of my adoption!

 

Katrina

Girl, Born December 2001
Oh what a miracle, to have an updated photo of Katrina!!!    And there is the light I  knew had to be there!   She doesn’t realize it, but now that she has a profile here on Reece’s Rainbow, Katrina has a CHANCE…a chance for a new life, a family of her own, to get out of these four walls and to have something to smile about.
From her medical records:  Down syndrome, significant cognitive delay (coupled with FAS), flatfoot, partial atrophy of optic nerves, esotropia, secondary cardiomyopathy.
From a missionary who visited with her in March 2012: Oh my heart…I so wanted to bring her home!   She is a giggly soft hearted darling…she needs a mama!
Katrina and Tania can be adopted together if a family is approved and interested.   Families should be HS approved (or close to it) prior to commitment.   10 day wait often waived here.  Married couples only, larger families welcome, travel required.

$2361.30 is available towards the cost of my adoption!

 

Tania (50)

Girl, born August 2002.

She is said to be independant and active, and she especially loves to swing.  She is shy with other children, and seeks attention from adults, cuddling up when hugs and affection are available.

From her medical records:  Down syndrome, esotropia, flatfoot, secondary  cardiomyopathy.

From a missionary who visited with her in March 2012:  One time the care giver made her sit with other children she was so desperate for me all to herself shecried! she really didnt want to share me.   This is seriously one child who wants a Mama!   She seemed so bright, there is so much potential here being wasted.   She whacked the other children to keep them away from me but I could tell she was not an aggressive child.  Tania is fiesty and able and just desperate for love!  I loved her!!!   I wanted to bring her and Katarina home.  Tania is always active and she loves playing with her swing set, unlike the other kids who rather just play with their toys. The child is a bit shy around the children of her age.  However, she is very brave and courageous when dealing with new visitors.  The girl suffers from a lack of motherly care and gentleness, so she is attracted to everyone who is nice and kind to her.   She hides her lonely soul behind the wall of her active and independent lifestyle.   But as soon as she receives a warm hug and a little love, the mischievous girl suddenly becomes docile and calm.

Larger families, older parents welcome.  Travel required.   This region does often waive the 10-day waiting period!

$3587.45 is available towards the cost of my adoption!

 

Bobby

Boy, Born February 2004
Oh, Bobby is growing up so fast….but alone   BOBBY NEEDS OUT!    Watch a short video here:  https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10151205374969862
Diagnosis: cerebral palsy, mental delay, secondary cardiopathy,  was born with partial  optic atrophy of both eyes, bronchopulmonary  dysplasia.   Unable to walk.
We have had several successful adoptions from this institution, and this region often waives the 10 day waiting period.  Married couples only, no family size or parent age restrictions.   Families should be HS approved (or nearly so) prior to committing for Bobby.
From a missionary who visited with him in September 2012:    “Today I was in our local central hospital.   Bobby is there now, because he has anemia.   At the orphanage he eats just semolina porridge, no wonder that he has problems with his blood.   The nurse, who spent 8 days with him, says, that she tried to give him other food too. But firstly he didn’t want to have something other, just his white porrige. She put some rice in his porrigde and he tried to throw it away with the napkin. But in a few days the nurse put other kinds of porridge in his milk and he can eat it, just she needs much time to feed him.   She also told me, that he still needs attention and still tries to tear off the catheter from his arm”
From a missionary who visited with him in March 2012: Bobby was simply beautiful! Quieter than the other children who became quite intense trying to get attention, Bobby sat back and watched. His eyes that are most striking…they are like dark brown pools and theyare very knowing. I pulled him into my lap and our eyes connected, there is real potential within his eyes. He smiled, i just wanted to carry him out…this gentle soul with the slow curving smile…happy to be pulled into my lap and rocked and cuddled and spoken to in a language that he couldn’t understand. I loved him…he would be a wonderful son for somebody! He couldn’t walk at all but moved himself around independently on his knees. His face was a yellowish color that was alarming and may possibly hint at other issues. He really needs to find a family soon.

$4075.80 is available towards the cost of my adoption!

 

Jason

Boy, Born April 10, 2003

HELP!  I have been transferred to a remote institution, with no hope of finding my family without you!
Jason spends his time either in a crib or in a stroller, sitting outside.
He needs a lot of love and attention … He is a good, sweet child, but he has a lot of self-injuring behaviors.  Unfortunately, he is often restrained because he hits himself really hard.
Update Nov 2012:  Jason is learning to walk with support!

$1006.69 is available towards the cost of my adoption!