March 18th

March 18, 2015:

I’ve had some major disappointments this week.

It would be easy to curl up in bed and cry. It would be easy to say “no” to everything. It would be easy to give up on being happy or moving forward. It would be easy to take out my frustrations on others. However, I am rarely ever called to take the EASY road. No, that would just be too.... easy. I have the sneaking suspicion that this is not one of those “easy” times. I might feel shaken up, beaten down, depressed or disappointed, I might not be joyful or thankful about certain things… BUT…

But Jesus is on my side. And He continues to show me that my life is not based only on the circumstances that surround me. I do not need to put away joy just because some things happening around me are painful, or hard to swallow, or just plain sad and unfair.

 Psalms tells us that “Joy comes in the morning.” 

That means THIS morning, and EVERY morning, should be joyful.

I might not be good at being thankful in all circumstances, but I think I can take it one day, or one hour, or just one minute at a time. Maybe. 

Maybe I can do this. 

Here’s to joy.

PS: No, God, I did not ask for patience. I am just plain tired of being patient!

Maybe if I quit asking for it, then I won’t have to wait so long?

Wishful thinking, I know. But it’s worth a try.

This was a very sobering statistic for me.

http://www.theforgotteninitiative.org

Every life matters

There is a 15 year old girl in who desperately needs to be adopted, so that she can get on a heart transplant list and vastly improve her quality of life.
To learn more, visit http://www.nogreaterjoymom.com/2015/03/because-she-matters/

If you are not feeling led to adopt, please pray, send happy thoughts her way, and tell your friends about her.
Let them know that every life matters. Every life is precious. Every child is important.
The need is great, but only one family needs to step forward for this young girl.
I hope her family finds her soon.

Twenty Less

Oh my.

Somehow I have just stumbled across twentyless.com
This is powerful stuff. The pictures, stories and testimonies there could break your heart.

There are so many children in the world who need forever families.... Too many of them, if you ask me.
This particular website seems to focus on children in China... but there are so many others out there in different parts of the world, waiting to belong.

Some of them have siblings, some don't.
Some have different abilities, some don't.
Some of them may need surgery or special services. Some don't.
Some of them remember what it is like to be loved and cared for... and some don't.

When Mike and I started on our foster parent/adoption journey, we felt compelled to work with children in our local area. In our state. In our own town, maybe, or at least as locally as possible. That's why we signed up with our county's DSS office to become foster parents. Families in crisis may not have an extended network of relatives to care for their children.Through no fault of their own, adult choices and situations might force those children to be cared for elsewhere. We want to stand in that gap and care for kids at a critical time, when they need it most.

No everyone is called to be a foster parent or to adopt; however, as Helen Keller said, "everyone can do something."
I don't know what "something" looks like for you and your family, but maybe some of these links will help you start thinking about where you might fit in.

Who can foster and/or adopt? This site has requirements for each state in the US.
To find children in the US who are waiting to be adopted, please visit adoptuskids.org
You can search photolistings by state, age, gender, and number of siblings.
If you are interested in kids with special needs, go to ReecesRainbow.org They specialize in helping children of different abilities or situations find forever homes. They often have sizable grants available, to make it easier to afford a costly international adoption, and to more quickly facilitate adoption, especailly for those who have special medical or health needs.

For those who aren't in a position to foster or adopt right now, what can you do to help others? Can you donate to an adoption fundraiser? Could you start a clothes closet ministry for people in your area who are in need? Could you donate your time to tutor at-risk kids at the library after school, or become a mentor at a Boys and Girls Club, or Big Brothers/Big Sisters, or another community organization?

There are so many creative, meaningful ways that you could donate your time, talents and resources to make a difference in the life of a child.

Outside / Inside

Outside, it is a beautiful day.
Sun shines. Birds sing.
Children play in the mud.

Inside, my heart is hurting.

I am grieved.

I am grieved for all the kids out there, especially the smallest ones, who don't have a safe home or loving parent/s to help them learn and grow and blossom through their young lives. My heart hurts for them, and all the terrible things they have been through, are going through, and will be facing.

I am grieved over broken promises, biases, prejudices, and lost opportunities. There are so many lost moments, things that should have been said or done, but weren't, lost moments in time that will never be returned or recovered. In our society, we are masters of wasting time.

Sometimes, my heart is heavy, and I just need a good cry.

I am so glad that a new day comes in the morning.
Another chance to start again.

We can't undo what's already been done.
However, we CAN learn from past mistakes (ours as well as others),
strive not to repeat them, and help make life a little better and brighter for each other.