I spent way too much time at the library today. I went to return a few books and audio books and to plead for an extension on a book I am trying desperately to locate. Kiana needed to do an autobiography report of a famous woman in history. She chose Wilma Rudolph, the first African American woman to win three gold medals in the Olympics in track and field. We took out two books, this one:
and a longer and more thorough autobiography. That's the one I cant find. Both books were good, but the picture book by Kathleen Krull was great, and a good addition to your own library- very inspiring.
The other children's book I wanted to recommend is called "Thunder Rose" by Jerdine Nolen and Illustrated by Kadir Nelson. We bought this book a few years ago and absolutely fell in love with the pictures and the over all spirit of the book. Besides which illustrator Kadir Nelson is beyond amazing. I write about him tonight because he was also recommended by someone from our agency's office in the monthly bulletin, and it reminded me how much I have loved every single thing he has done. Check out his web site, you will become enchanted, I promise.
After I picked up Kiana from school today we went over to Berkshire Pulse dance studio in Housatonic to observe their hip hop class. We sat and watched for about ten minutes. Kiana said, I know this song, and then, I know this song too! Finally I said, just go and join in already. She grinned a little and then got up and danced with them. They had a young teacher named Lisa that seemed very energetic and enthusiastic. Kiana got right into it. The artistic director even offered to help with getting her there on Fridays after school. I'm really hoping Kiana enjoys it, she said she would like to try it. Fred is worried about the financial commitment right now, but I think its well worth it.
While I was waiting for the class to end I over heard a conversation between two woman that hadn't seen each other in a while. It went something like this:
Oh hi so and so- I haven't seen you in so long- how are you? whats new?
Well, actually the newest event for us is that we are adopting a little girl!
Really?I just supported a friend recently while they adopted. Where did you adopt from?
From the department of social services in P--------.
Wow! I know how hard adopting from foster care can be...
Actually, it was really easy. She was our first placement and after six weeks they asked us if we were interested in adopting her! We are in the process now and she is seven months old.
While we were on our way out to the car I peeked in her car and saw the baby sleeping in her car seat, she was absolutely gorgeous and I was totally jealous. All I could think of is how we waited three years for a placement with the state of Connecticut. How do events such as this happen? Its so frustrating.
I was feeling this frustration after I got home. I had dropped Kiana off at her friends house for a sleep over and was feeling rather bummed out. I logged on to check my e mail and saw the monthly bulletin from our agency Wide Horizons for Children. I am so glad I did. I wish I could post their exact articles of interest, but they ask us not to. So I will just to tell you that they were very up lifting. They spoke about the incredible amount of humanitarian work the agency is doing, here's a quote:
More than 12% of children in Ethiopia are orphaned (an orphan is defined by UNICEF as a child who has lost one or both parents), many from HIV/AIDS, and the number is only increasing. Ethiopia ranks 19 the worst globally for under-five mortality with a rate of 164 (this means that 164 children die for every live 1,000 births). Only 31% of children are enrolled in primary school, and less than half have received the immunizations (shots) needed to prevent childhood illnesses that are rarely seen in the developed world. More than 80% of Ethiopians live on less than $2 per day. To address these concerns, we are partnering with local governments in the Northern Tigray region and the Southern Nations Nationalities and People’s (SNNPR) region to focus on the key areas of family preservation, child sponsorship, community development, health, and education. Since 2003, these integrated efforts have brought about positive change. For example, results from a house-to-house survey showed that 100% of primary school-aged children were attending school. These results came after we expanded the St Mary of Tsion School to allow room for more children to attend. Nationally, only 34% of children complete primary school.
I felt very encouraged reading about this, it cements my decision to adopt with this agency. It is very important to me that our agency is not only working to find homes for children in need, but also to assist communities in becoming self sustainable and healthy so they can work towards keeping their families intact (there is much more information about the work they are doing in Ethiopia on their web site).
The bulletin spoke about the ability to continue to offer adoptive parents the opportunity to meet your child's birth family and how important creating that connection is. For a child that is adopted, any information about the very beginnings of their life are vitally important.
I found this information interesting: US adoptions from Ethiopia have increased dramatically over the past two years, from 732 placements in 2006, to an estimated 1,500 or more in 2007. Accordingly, the number of US adoption agencies working in Ethiopia has also dramatically increased to 25, up from 4 in 2005.
It touched my heart to read about the recent celebration the agency had for referring their 500th Ethiopian child to the US. The accounts of the nurturing nannies and the entirety of the team that is needed to make each and every adoption work was uplifting. I truly can not wait to have the experience of meeting all of the incredible people working in Addis Ababa. Reading this information right now is a huge reminder of our reasons to adopt from Ethiopia.
(By the way, have you noticed how many children being adopted from Ethiopia are being named some variation of Addis Ababa, the capitol? Like Addison, Addy or Addis? And what is with putting up a poll on your blog asking complete strangers what they think you should name your child? Don't you have to actually see your child before you can name them? I digress...).
The bulletin included some fantastic links this month. One was for the photography of David DuChemin. I was blown away by the vibrancy in his photographs, and especially found myself gazing deeply into the eyes of the first girl in the Ethiopian series, her yellow scarf like a halo draped against her face.
This movie looks fascinating: “A Walk to Beautiful follows five astonishing Ethiopian women and girls, shunned and rendered "untouchable" because of a devastating childbirth injury they have suffered, as they embark on a journey to reclaim their lives. Variety reviewed the film and called it "up-beat and life-affirming." The New York Times said A Walk to Beautiful is
"complex and quietly devastating."” www.walktobeautiful.com
Who doesn't need to watch a life affirming movie?
The update had a short piece by Vicky Peterson that I really wanted to share with you. I am hoping that's OK...
CLEAN SHEETS
by Vicky Peterson
A barefoot boy walked out of a hut and cautiously watched us. Another child stood inside and stared as we made our way down the dirt pathway that separated a long line of shacks. Their dark skinned faces were somber. Clotheslines ran from one hovel to another. A torn Adidas tee shirt hung in the mid day sun along side a faded Yankees baseball shirt and tattered gray shorts. Two thin mongrel dogs slept by the side of a wash basin and nearby some scrawny chickens were squawking from a metal cage. The side of my foot was rubbed raw by new blue sandals I bought at home before leaving. In the store they looked appealing - now they seemed vulgar. Children came out as we passed by. Others peered out from the darkness of their thatched shacks. Somehow, they seemed to sense that strangers were nearby. Moulat led us as we turned off onto a worn pathway. He called ahead. A young girl came out of her hut, a baby tied to her back by a filmy white traditional shawl. Her eyes looked down. He said something to her in Amharic and she responded in a whisper. He translated for us, explaining that both parents died earlier in the year and now this child was raising her younger sister and baby brother. We walked into the darkened hut. In the corner a little girl was sitting on her haunches stirring a pot over a flame. She looked to be about 5 or 6. Taped to the brown mud wall was a yellowed magazine cover of a blond movie star and her smiling boyfriend. A large metal cross hung nearby, and two old wooden crates sat on the floor.
I asked where they slept. Moulat pointed down at the dirt floor. My throat now dry, I wanted to disappear. I recalled when my five year old daughter, Jo, said she wanted “pink princess sheets” for her birthday. As I stared down at the ground, I pictured Jo sleeping in her bed at home enveloped by her sheets and fluffy pink pillows. As I reached into my bag for money, he stopped me. “No,” he said. “You cannot give her anything. Other children will take it from her. There is not enough money for all the children in the village. They all have ‘died’ parents.” We
walked out of the hut and with the back of my hand I wiped away wetness around my eyes.
Tonight I would take a long hot shower, soak my feet in the tub and sleep on clean sheets in my air conditioned hotel room.
Vicki Peterson is WHFC’s Executive Director of External Affairs. Vicki has been with Wide Horizons since 1979, first working as a clinical social worker and from 1989 to 2006 as Executive Director. Ms. Peterson received her MSW degree in 1969 and for the past three decades has devoted her professional life to child welfare.
Boy that made me tear right up, so emotional. It is stories like this that serve to remind us of our priorities. There is something bigger in store for us. An earth shattering moment of clarity awaits me down this spirit-testing path. Maybe things haven't been "easy" for us as we have tried to grow our family, but they certainly haven't been impossible. Maybe we just needed our convictions tested, strengthened.
"Long after a deed is done, the trace or momentum of the intention left behind it remains as a seed, conditioning our future happiness or unhappiness."
-Gil Fronsdal
There seem to be quite a few glitches in blogger. I often find myself wishing I had created the blog on wordpress. Never the less I finally found the help site for blogger. At least now I can check and see if other people are experiencing the same problems as I am.
Finally I wanted to mention my huge appreciation for a fantastic lady named Mary Campbell-Case. Mary and her husband David have been so kind to us ever since Kiana and their son Ethan entered into the same class together in first grade. They always offer to have Kiana over if I have to work late suddenly, or go to work extra early. They allow Kiana to feel right at home in their beautiful house and are always so gracious, considerate and understanding. For example not long ago I sent a thank you card to them for something or another. Although incredibly busy, both of them found time separately in different conversations, to thank me for the thank you card. Who does that? I thought that was so nice. Anyway, Mary has a monthly woman's group meeting that I always try to attend. She just set up a web site so more woman could gain information and get involved. It is called Claiming Our Voices, and I quote: "Claiming Our Voices encourages women of all ages to
hear, trust and nurture their own authentic wisdom and to
inspire one another to speak more powerfully and creatively in the world."
Mary writes beautifully and has a way of expressing herself in a calm and reassuring manner that isn't preachy or pushy. I am usually far too shy to go to events like group meetings. But after I had attended a few of the monthly sessions I became more comfortable being there and sharing a little bit about myself. What I really like about the group is that it is inter generational so there are many different perspectives on all subjects.
I want to end with another quote from Mary's decorative and all encompassing writing. Visit her web site and offer your support.
(written in Autumn)
"We’re in the midst of my favorite time of year.
All around reds and golds and corals decorate our days. Driving anywhere I
suddenly find myself gasping in awe at the brilliance of a tree’s bright flash
of color that just yesterday was some unremarkable part of the general green
that’s blanketed our hills for months. And that green caused the same
exclamation last spring when it so suddenly burst into my awareness. Then, it
was the sun drawing life from within the tiny unfurling miracle, chlorophyl’s
celebration. And now, after their darkening, thickening trek through summer,
mature leaves find their crowning beauty in the golden glow emanating from
within. They’ve soaked up so much of summer’s sunlight that they can’t help but
return it again to the Earth. Fullness, then release.
Change is everywhere, at every moment. We welcome in the new, and at the same time, say goodbye to what’s come before. Just as the growing things around us, we’re also in a constant state of change, always building up or releasing. Expanding or
contracting. Like the leaves releasing their green this month, we too bid
farewell to what no longer serves us, making space for what’s to
come."
-Mary Campbell-Case, Claiming Our Voices
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