The Sad Truth

We had  a weekend away at Sharp's cabin last weekend followed by four nights of sports camp for our oldest four as well as doctor's appointments, following the Sandusky trial, tending to the garden and any number of other tasks so I have been a bit absent from my blog.  My heart is incredibly heavy this morning for this town, the victims who have been so valiant to share their stories, the Sandusky family, etc.  Things become harder to hear and deal with when you know people who have been friends of the Sandusky's for years.  Makes it more personal and less distant.  Any way you look at it so many lives have been devastated.  Such a good reminder once again to stop and evaluate life.  How we choose to live our life, the decisions we make affect far more than just ourselves.  May we be less apt to point the finger at those who have committed more horrific sins and quicker to look inward at the pride that alienates us from those who need His redemptive work in their lives!

 I love this picture of my friend Katie's kids and two of my girls.  Three beautiful African children all representing different countries from that glorious continent!  Uganda, Central African Republic and Ethiopia.  Pretty sure the two blond beauties can hold their own when mixed in with the others.  Such sweet children!

 In addition to sports camp this week which Eden absolutely loved she got a bit of pampering at the salon.  She was in desperate need of a trim again and this time she had a shampoo and a bit of a style as well.  What a beautiful, radiant little girl! 

And Naomi got her darling little mop of Mr. T hair shaved off.  I was tired of the comments and after having my friend Krista check with her Kenyan friends decided to just give her the traditional African head shave.  Her favorite way to fall asleep is in my arms with her ear directly over my heart!  I am her momma in every way! 

Now, on to the sad truth.  I had a friend ask me this week why we got Naomi out of hundreds of waiting parents.  Why us and not them?  Here is why:  there are very few couples/families waiting who are willing to adopt a child who is bi-racial or African American.  The agency we used with Naomi only had one other family who was willing to consider a child of color.  One!  I read recently on another blog that when they adopted their African American son from LA county that they were the only couple willing!!  There is a huge need here for people to step forward and adopt these beautiful children.  Most adoption agencies have them classified as special needs simply because of their skin color.  When we started talking about pursuing another adoption we contacted the agency who did our homestudy for Eden.  I asked a few questions about domestic adoption and that is when I heard some of these truths for the first time.  I remember getting off the phone and thinking, "How awful for a mother who is making the decision to give her baby up for adoption to only have one profile to look at."

I will be honest:  I had moments early on in Naomi's arrival that I would think of true orphans who still wait and wondered why God had given us a child who had a loving birth mother.  Slowly I realized that just because there is a living birth parent does not mean that she wasn't in less need of a loving family than Eden.  People get hung up on international vs domestic, true orphan vs situations that compel a child to be orphaned, etc.  The details surrounding the placement of a child are typically irrelevant.  The glaringly obvious most desperate need is a stable, loving family!  Can you offer a loving home?  It doesn't have to be perfect because that just isn't reality.  It takes one person to make a difference in the life of one child!  Don't feel like you can adopt or foster?  What about being a big brother/big sister?  What about having a fresh air child for a week? 

Let's look for every opportunity to speak into the life of a child!!