Friday, July 18, 2008
Friday, July 11, 2008
A Break
I am going to take a blogging break. I will post if we get good news. Please pray for Daniel who we love as big as the world.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
160 Days
nothing.
Daniel is still in his orphanage, and we are still in limbo. My heart is just squeezed up tight all of the time.
Please let this end.
Daniel is still in his orphanage, and we are still in limbo. My heart is just squeezed up tight all of the time.
Please let this end.
Sunday, July 6, 2008
July 4th Weekend: Thankful
I am one of those cheesy people who gets teary eyed at the national anthem during every Olympic medal ceremony. I love all of the other old, beautiful, patriotic songs, too. I am proud of the ideals on which my country is founded, and I am grateful to the men and women through history who have worked for and fought for the preservation of those ideals. I am so LUCKY to have been born in a country and during a time that MY voice, a woman's voice, a mother's voice, a teacher's voice etc. can be heard along with all of the other voices which make up our representative democratic system.
I am not always proud of the ACTIONS of my country. Nor am I in favor of all of the battles that have been fought by the brave and dedicated men and women who stand above others in their service. As an American, I am lucky to be able to disagree. I can sit at a table with friends and family, who hold all different beliefs, and engage in debate where we can grow from understanding varying points of view. I do not take lightly the sacrifices that others make to ensure that my right to express myself is preserved.
One powerful lesson I have gained from this adoption process is the lesson of how to access and petition my representatives. What a privilege it is to have elected officials to whom I can express my beliefs. I feel like I have abused that privilege by never having used it before.
What frightens me is that this process has also taught me that abandoned, our democratic rights can be obscured, lost in red tape. I have been afraid to speak at times, for fear that Daniel would suffer for my speaking. I have felt as if my representatives, at times, were representing what Thoreau would call the government "machine" instead of me, their constituent. I do not feel that any person is deliberately trying to harm children. I believe that all involved are really trying to do their jobs, and well. All are trying to follow their consciences. However, not all voices are being heard. Daniel and I are not being heard. This is a larger lesson. Who is being served by many innately political processes? How does this problem of representation affect the indigent, the immigrant, the unemployed, the soldier, the student, the uninsured child? I want to be more vigilant about speaking, and I would encourage all to be more vigilant, because we likely disagree about some issues. Those varying viewpoints are what give our nation the balance necessary to maintain the democratic foundation which we typically take for granted.
Here are some excerpts from early American writers that are relevant to my current experience. These are important and timeless words. I am thankful to be an American.
from The Declaration of Independence
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.”
from the First Amendment of The Bill of Rights to the U.S. Constitution
CONGRESS SHALL MAKE NO LAW RESPECTING AN ESTABLISHMENT OF RELIGION, OR PROHIBITING THE FREE EXERCISE THEREOF; OR ABRIDGING THE FREEDOM OF SPEECH, OR OF THE PRESS; OR THE RIGHT OF THE PEOPLE PEACEABLY TO ASSEMBLE, AND TO PETITION THE GOVERNMENT FOR A REDRESS OF GRIEVANCES.
from Abraham Lincoln's, “The Gettysburg Address”
“It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”
I am not always proud of the ACTIONS of my country. Nor am I in favor of all of the battles that have been fought by the brave and dedicated men and women who stand above others in their service. As an American, I am lucky to be able to disagree. I can sit at a table with friends and family, who hold all different beliefs, and engage in debate where we can grow from understanding varying points of view. I do not take lightly the sacrifices that others make to ensure that my right to express myself is preserved.
One powerful lesson I have gained from this adoption process is the lesson of how to access and petition my representatives. What a privilege it is to have elected officials to whom I can express my beliefs. I feel like I have abused that privilege by never having used it before.
What frightens me is that this process has also taught me that abandoned, our democratic rights can be obscured, lost in red tape. I have been afraid to speak at times, for fear that Daniel would suffer for my speaking. I have felt as if my representatives, at times, were representing what Thoreau would call the government "machine" instead of me, their constituent. I do not feel that any person is deliberately trying to harm children. I believe that all involved are really trying to do their jobs, and well. All are trying to follow their consciences. However, not all voices are being heard. Daniel and I are not being heard. This is a larger lesson. Who is being served by many innately political processes? How does this problem of representation affect the indigent, the immigrant, the unemployed, the soldier, the student, the uninsured child? I want to be more vigilant about speaking, and I would encourage all to be more vigilant, because we likely disagree about some issues. Those varying viewpoints are what give our nation the balance necessary to maintain the democratic foundation which we typically take for granted.
Here are some excerpts from early American writers that are relevant to my current experience. These are important and timeless words. I am thankful to be an American.
from The Declaration of Independence
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.”
from the First Amendment of The Bill of Rights to the U.S. Constitution
CONGRESS SHALL MAKE NO LAW RESPECTING AN ESTABLISHMENT OF RELIGION, OR PROHIBITING THE FREE EXERCISE THEREOF; OR ABRIDGING THE FREEDOM OF SPEECH, OR OF THE PRESS; OR THE RIGHT OF THE PEOPLE PEACEABLY TO ASSEMBLE, AND TO PETITION THE GOVERNMENT FOR A REDRESS OF GRIEVANCES.
from Abraham Lincoln's, “The Gettysburg Address”
“It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Bob
I was in college when I met Bob. She was a little black fluff ball with a nose poking out. On our way home together for the first time, she threw up on me, and then she shivered in my lap and fell asleep. She was the SWEETEST puppy. I didn't have to potty train her! No joke. She literally never used the bathroom in my apartment, but she sometimes did in other people's. She and I went everywhere together. Since I got her the year I pretty much dropped out of college (don't worry, I eventually went back), she became my center, in a way, something to take care of when everything else was falling away.
Bob has an independent and free spirit. When we lived at the beach, she would bust out of my bedroom window and spend the whole day at the beach while I was working. I would find her on the front steps later, soaking wet, filthy, and satisfied. I used to take her for endless morning walks along the beach, and we were often all alone there. She would run through the water for MILES; she loved it.
She is a digger, big time, too.
My little sister, with a bag full of Cheetos, taught her how to roll over, and that has been Bobby's claim to fame ever since. Bob shows affection all of the time, but she never begs for it. She used to sit on my lap while I was driving when we went on road trips together. When she was a little younger, she would dance with me, two legs on the floor and holding my hands. She has lived with me in at least nine different apartments/houses. She has lived with the following pets, all of whom are gone now: Romeo, Twinkie, and Salvador. She loved them.
Bob is extremely gentle. She is expressive with her ears and eyes. I used to dream that she was talking to me. Her lips would move in my dream, but her voice was always my own.
Tonight is the third night in a row that I have been up with Bob, who is panting incessantly. She never stops. She can't sleep. Tonight, though, I can tell she is in pain. She is wheezing a little, and when I lie down and put my arms around her, she twitches. She had a "brain virus" or a stroke last September according to our vet, and we thought she might be failing in health, but she made a full recovery. Now, though, she really seems sick. Bob has been with me for 15 years. I have a feeling that when I take her to the vet they are going to tell me something terrible, but I don't want her to be in pain. How do you know when?
Bob has an independent and free spirit. When we lived at the beach, she would bust out of my bedroom window and spend the whole day at the beach while I was working. I would find her on the front steps later, soaking wet, filthy, and satisfied. I used to take her for endless morning walks along the beach, and we were often all alone there. She would run through the water for MILES; she loved it.
She is a digger, big time, too.
My little sister, with a bag full of Cheetos, taught her how to roll over, and that has been Bobby's claim to fame ever since. Bob shows affection all of the time, but she never begs for it. She used to sit on my lap while I was driving when we went on road trips together. When she was a little younger, she would dance with me, two legs on the floor and holding my hands. She has lived with me in at least nine different apartments/houses. She has lived with the following pets, all of whom are gone now: Romeo, Twinkie, and Salvador. She loved them.
Bob is extremely gentle. She is expressive with her ears and eyes. I used to dream that she was talking to me. Her lips would move in my dream, but her voice was always my own.
Tonight is the third night in a row that I have been up with Bob, who is panting incessantly. She never stops. She can't sleep. Tonight, though, I can tell she is in pain. She is wheezing a little, and when I lie down and put my arms around her, she twitches. She had a "brain virus" or a stroke last September according to our vet, and we thought she might be failing in health, but she made a full recovery. Now, though, she really seems sick. Bob has been with me for 15 years. I have a feeling that when I take her to the vet they are going to tell me something terrible, but I don't want her to be in pain. How do you know when?
Thursday, July 3, 2008
The LOOOOOONG Weekend
Sigh. Days 154-157 upcoming.
Love to Daniel.
Happy 4th of July everybody.
We wish a happy journey and congratulations, moms and dads, to friends who are finally getting approvals to bring their "Tu Du" babies home. We desperately hope to join you all in celebration soon.
Love to Daniel.
Happy 4th of July everybody.
We wish a happy journey and congratulations, moms and dads, to friends who are finally getting approvals to bring their "Tu Du" babies home. We desperately hope to join you all in celebration soon.
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