Pardon the lack of manners regarding language choice. Some things irritate people excessively. Click on the "Thanks, Tam" link and see for yourself.
Thanks, Tam!
If my ears work correctly, at about 3:54 on the video link, Mitt Romney says "This is stupid"...?? Why is it stupid that someone is trying to figure out how to save our economy?
Hit and run, Mitt!
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Desire of My Heart
After we had our 4th baby, we made the decision to not have more children. Although the choice was difficult, we felt it was the best for us at the time. Over the years, I have occasionally regretted the permanency of our decision, but when I look at the entire picture, I still feel like we did the right thing. However, the desire planted in my heart when I was a little girl, the longing for a large family, has never left.
For more than 10 years, Tom and I have discussed the idea of adopting children. One of us would bring it up in conversation, but the other would object. Several months would pass, and the person who had objected would raise the topic again, but the other one would nix it. This went on for about 6 years, until finally in the summer of 2004, we agreed to go ahead and actually check into what steps we needed to take to adopt. I called our local adoption social worker, she answered some of my questions, sent me some information in the mail, and we decided to at least take the initial classes required.
Then, my world fell apart - literally. I was involved in a major car accident 3 weeks prior to starting the classes. Tom made the executive decision that we would not be taking classes, adopting, or doing much of anything except making sure I healed properly. Over the next 2 years, I slowly recovered to the point where we could begin thinking about other interests again.
The tugging on my heart that I'd felt for years was still there, and after making a few phone calls, we were able to get scheduled for the pre-service classes. We discussed our thoughts with our kids, and other than the inevitable "Would I have to share a bedroom?" questions, they were all open to the idea. It took some creative wrangling of Tom's work schedule, but we finished the 6-weekend course and received our certificate. Our first step was complete, and now the paper work started!
Fire inspection - fire chief missed the first appointment, finally showed up and did his part - Check
Medical exam - doctor said "Yep, you're healthy. How many kids do you plan to adopt?" - Check
Reference letters - friends must have been nice when they wrote about us - Check
Financial statement - ha! Check
Interviews with social worker - Me, Tom, Me and Tom, Me and Tom again, and again, and again, Me, Tom, kids - Check
Home visit for safety inspection - apparently a little clutter and some paint splotches on a bedroom carpet don't take off points - Check
Background check - We aren't criminals?! - Check
Fingerprints - Still aren't criminals - Check
Interviews - more of the same - Check
Interspersed in between all this activity were numerous phone calls, garage sale hunts for beds, dressers, car seats, and cribs, answers to rude questions by not-so-friendly friends and relatives about why we would do this, answers to how's-it-going questions by kind friends and relatives who know we've wanted to do this for years...
On June 27, 2007, we were issued a foster-to-adopt license. No one delivered a child with it. Nothing changed at our house. We didn't start putting more plates on the table at dinner. We didn't suddenly need an extended passenger van. Nothing changed. But it could.
For 10 years, the longing in my heart for more children has not subsided. It has steadily grown stronger. It began as a small seed when I was a child. It grew while I was in college teaching Bible lessons to inner-city children in Cincinnati and babysitting wealthy people's children, people too self-absorbed to love their own children more than their own need to rub elbows with the elite. Now I'm faced with the possibility, the blessing, the opportunity of loving, for a lifetime, a child not born to me, and it scares me.
We believe God will answer our prayer. We trust that He will place the child He knows we need, and who needs us, in our home at just the right time. We wait.
For more than 10 years, Tom and I have discussed the idea of adopting children. One of us would bring it up in conversation, but the other would object. Several months would pass, and the person who had objected would raise the topic again, but the other one would nix it. This went on for about 6 years, until finally in the summer of 2004, we agreed to go ahead and actually check into what steps we needed to take to adopt. I called our local adoption social worker, she answered some of my questions, sent me some information in the mail, and we decided to at least take the initial classes required.
Then, my world fell apart - literally. I was involved in a major car accident 3 weeks prior to starting the classes. Tom made the executive decision that we would not be taking classes, adopting, or doing much of anything except making sure I healed properly. Over the next 2 years, I slowly recovered to the point where we could begin thinking about other interests again.
The tugging on my heart that I'd felt for years was still there, and after making a few phone calls, we were able to get scheduled for the pre-service classes. We discussed our thoughts with our kids, and other than the inevitable "Would I have to share a bedroom?" questions, they were all open to the idea. It took some creative wrangling of Tom's work schedule, but we finished the 6-weekend course and received our certificate. Our first step was complete, and now the paper work started!
Fire inspection - fire chief missed the first appointment, finally showed up and did his part - Check
Medical exam - doctor said "Yep, you're healthy. How many kids do you plan to adopt?" - Check
Reference letters - friends must have been nice when they wrote about us - Check
Financial statement - ha! Check
Interviews with social worker - Me, Tom, Me and Tom, Me and Tom again, and again, and again, Me, Tom, kids - Check
Home visit for safety inspection - apparently a little clutter and some paint splotches on a bedroom carpet don't take off points - Check
Background check - We aren't criminals?! - Check
Fingerprints - Still aren't criminals - Check
Interviews - more of the same - Check
Interspersed in between all this activity were numerous phone calls, garage sale hunts for beds, dressers, car seats, and cribs, answers to rude questions by not-so-friendly friends and relatives about why we would do this, answers to how's-it-going questions by kind friends and relatives who know we've wanted to do this for years...
On June 27, 2007, we were issued a foster-to-adopt license. No one delivered a child with it. Nothing changed at our house. We didn't start putting more plates on the table at dinner. We didn't suddenly need an extended passenger van. Nothing changed. But it could.
For 10 years, the longing in my heart for more children has not subsided. It has steadily grown stronger. It began as a small seed when I was a child. It grew while I was in college teaching Bible lessons to inner-city children in Cincinnati and babysitting wealthy people's children, people too self-absorbed to love their own children more than their own need to rub elbows with the elite. Now I'm faced with the possibility, the blessing, the opportunity of loving, for a lifetime, a child not born to me, and it scares me.
We believe God will answer our prayer. We trust that He will place the child He knows we need, and who needs us, in our home at just the right time. We wait.
Friday, January 25, 2008
What's Wrong With We the People?
It's a right handy little document, our Constitution. Doesn't need a whole lot of fancy language. It's survived a couple centuries, served us well. Still would, if people would read it. When elected officials, among others, take their office, they swear to uphold this document. Then, they forget their promise. They refer to our great country's founding words as a g*#$%^n piece of paper. They redefine it to their own liking. When they can't get around it, they ignore it.
Are you registered to vote? Do you know what you're voting for? Are you satisfied with the same old thing you've always had? Do you like paying half your income to other people? Do you know the IRS is an illegal organization? Are you aware your paper money isn't worth the ink it costs to print it? Think we're justified in fighting the war in Iraq? Know any veterans who courageously served our country and were thanked with poor health care and disarmed by the Bush-approved Veteran's Disarmament Act? Have you considered that you might not want to have your children pumped full of toxic vaccinations mandated by a government that has NO business telling you what's best for your child? Who profits from those vaccines?
When are you going to say "I've had enough"? When are you going to admit you aren't a free person when someone else is telling you how to run your life? When are you going to quit voting for the person who talks about God the most, and vote for someone who follows the rules?
I'll repeat myself loud and clear over and over and over again, so I can let one more person know the truth - RON PAUL is the only man you should be voting for, if you want a President who will follow the rules.
If you're a "vote for the lesser of two evils" kind of person - if you're a "vote for the preacher, he's a Christian" kind of person - if you're a "vote for the POW survivor" kind of person - STAY HOME on election day! Evil is still evil no matter how big it is, being a Christian doesn't qualify a man for the White House, and neither does being a POW. If you research Ron Paul and don't vote for him, you're missing out on the opportunity to restore America to it's original intent - a free nation, full of free people.
www.ronpaul2008.com
Are you registered to vote? Do you know what you're voting for? Are you satisfied with the same old thing you've always had? Do you like paying half your income to other people? Do you know the IRS is an illegal organization? Are you aware your paper money isn't worth the ink it costs to print it? Think we're justified in fighting the war in Iraq? Know any veterans who courageously served our country and were thanked with poor health care and disarmed by the Bush-approved Veteran's Disarmament Act? Have you considered that you might not want to have your children pumped full of toxic vaccinations mandated by a government that has NO business telling you what's best for your child? Who profits from those vaccines?
When are you going to say "I've had enough"? When are you going to admit you aren't a free person when someone else is telling you how to run your life? When are you going to quit voting for the person who talks about God the most, and vote for someone who follows the rules?
I'll repeat myself loud and clear over and over and over again, so I can let one more person know the truth - RON PAUL is the only man you should be voting for, if you want a President who will follow the rules.
If you're a "vote for the lesser of two evils" kind of person - if you're a "vote for the preacher, he's a Christian" kind of person - if you're a "vote for the POW survivor" kind of person - STAY HOME on election day! Evil is still evil no matter how big it is, being a Christian doesn't qualify a man for the White House, and neither does being a POW. If you research Ron Paul and don't vote for him, you're missing out on the opportunity to restore America to it's original intent - a free nation, full of free people.
www.ronpaul2008.com
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Questions I Ask Myself
On my Top 10 List of Things I Like:
My husband, early bedtime for the kids, chocolate, warm cars, letters from friends, jeans that fit, coffee in the morning, Jimmy Stewart, the smell of Baby Magic, friendly neighbors, people who tell me the truth, political incorrectness, peeled fruit, juicy steak, finding money I forgot I hid, answering machines, mailmen who deliver to my door, Renew Lotion, tucking my daughter into bed at night, hearing my teenage sons say "I love you, Mom", watching Gabe's face when he considers letting go, forgetting I know how to count...
The Other List:
Back talk, government employees, the smell of anti-freeze, Rosie, computers that are rude, telemarketers, buying gas, driving, grocery shopping when I'm tired, grading school work, listening to people drone about things I don't care about and can't change but I can't escape the conversation, people who say voting doesn't matter - GRRR!!!, dial-up, Koolaide, when people use food stamps to buy junk food, getting to church late, burning food, realizing too late that I don't have enough eggs, stomach aches, going clothes shopping, not seeing my sisters often, not having enough money to help someone in need, being depressed, to-do lists...
People I admire:
My husband - he knows Who does, and does NOT, define who he is.
Russ and Cindra Coy - They speak God's truth and challenge me to live by faith.
My children - My oldest is compassionate, seeks God, and reasons beyond his age. My 2nd is stubborn, hard working, and comedic. My 3rd is loving, cuddly, and innocent. My 4th is creative, intelligent and intuitive. They make me want to be a better person.
Illa Mae Woolworth - she taught me the basics in Sunday School.
Mr. Edwards - he isn't afraid to let me see the tears on his face when he prays.
Bill Morton - he was a Godly example of patience and quiet wisdom.
Uncle Marvin - he's singing in Heaven and omitting the 2nd and 4th stanzas.
Gran-Gran - he always had time for me, and he smelled like pipe tobacco.
Who can I influence to do the right thing? Does anything I say fall on good soil? Am I helping others? Do my words have a positive impact on people's lives? How can I change to be more like Christ? Do I follow His way in everything I do? Can I show more love? Would patience go further than exasperation? Would I accomplish more by saying less? Is what I say from my head, or God's heart? Do I glorify God? Will my actions hurt my opportunity to minister? Am I being what God wants me to be? Do I give God my time? How can I be used, God? Here I am.
My husband, early bedtime for the kids, chocolate, warm cars, letters from friends, jeans that fit, coffee in the morning, Jimmy Stewart, the smell of Baby Magic, friendly neighbors, people who tell me the truth, political incorrectness, peeled fruit, juicy steak, finding money I forgot I hid, answering machines, mailmen who deliver to my door, Renew Lotion, tucking my daughter into bed at night, hearing my teenage sons say "I love you, Mom", watching Gabe's face when he considers letting go, forgetting I know how to count...
The Other List:
Back talk, government employees, the smell of anti-freeze, Rosie, computers that are rude, telemarketers, buying gas, driving, grocery shopping when I'm tired, grading school work, listening to people drone about things I don't care about and can't change but I can't escape the conversation, people who say voting doesn't matter - GRRR!!!, dial-up, Koolaide, when people use food stamps to buy junk food, getting to church late, burning food, realizing too late that I don't have enough eggs, stomach aches, going clothes shopping, not seeing my sisters often, not having enough money to help someone in need, being depressed, to-do lists...
People I admire:
My husband - he knows Who does, and does NOT, define who he is.
Russ and Cindra Coy - They speak God's truth and challenge me to live by faith.
My children - My oldest is compassionate, seeks God, and reasons beyond his age. My 2nd is stubborn, hard working, and comedic. My 3rd is loving, cuddly, and innocent. My 4th is creative, intelligent and intuitive. They make me want to be a better person.
Illa Mae Woolworth - she taught me the basics in Sunday School.
Mr. Edwards - he isn't afraid to let me see the tears on his face when he prays.
Bill Morton - he was a Godly example of patience and quiet wisdom.
Uncle Marvin - he's singing in Heaven and omitting the 2nd and 4th stanzas.
Gran-Gran - he always had time for me, and he smelled like pipe tobacco.
Who can I influence to do the right thing? Does anything I say fall on good soil? Am I helping others? Do my words have a positive impact on people's lives? How can I change to be more like Christ? Do I follow His way in everything I do? Can I show more love? Would patience go further than exasperation? Would I accomplish more by saying less? Is what I say from my head, or God's heart? Do I glorify God? Will my actions hurt my opportunity to minister? Am I being what God wants me to be? Do I give God my time? How can I be used, God? Here I am.
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