The minimum donation is 10 inches, but my hair was so hot and frizzy in the humidity that I couldn't wait any longer, even though the result is rather short hair. I'm happy with it! Some have said it's good "mommy hair" :)
Sunday, June 18, 2006
Locks of Love
A great way to help out little kids is to donate hair -- check out www.locksoflove.org .
The minimum donation is 10 inches, but my hair was so hot and frizzy in the humidity that I couldn't wait any longer, even though the result is rather short hair. I'm happy with it! Some have said it's good "mommy hair" :)
The minimum donation is 10 inches, but my hair was so hot and frizzy in the humidity that I couldn't wait any longer, even though the result is rather short hair. I'm happy with it! Some have said it's good "mommy hair" :)
Thursday, June 15, 2006
No news...but I'm curious about something
You should see the amount of action on the adoption internet bulletin boards these days. Roughly half of all the usually-accredited adoption agencies have lost their accreditation in the last month because the Russian government did not streamline renewals. Many people are stranded between trips and don't know when they'll get to go bring their children home. The answer from all experienced people, and an adoption attorney I talked to, is that we all just have to wait it out. A person could start over with a new agency that is currently accredited, but this wouldn't likely save time (and definitely wouldn't save money!). There are simply no hard and fast timelines with Russian adoptions.
Something I'm curious about is this: everyone I talk to is equally convinced that we will get "the" child that we are supposed to get. Someone pointed out yesterday that this delay almost certainly means that the child we bring home will not be the same one we would have brought home if we had been traveling now. And yet even he was convinced that the child we will be getting is the "right" one.
Let me be clear: I myself believe this, too. But there is a specific basis for this: I believe there is a God who has a plan that will not be thwarted, and who uses even bad things (like bureaucratic delays!) to accomplish his purpose. The prime example of this is how God used a bad thing like the killing of his Son to reconcile us to God.
Many of the people I talk to do not have this view of God. Many don't profess any belief in God at all. I am curious as to why they are convinced that there is a "right" way for things to turn out, and that "what's meant to be will happen." Maybe this is something God teaches all of us, regardless of our interest or belief in him, by his grace.
I am certainly convinced that God has a plan for our child's life, and that we will get the "right" one :) I can't wait for you all to meet this little "right" one.
Something I'm curious about is this: everyone I talk to is equally convinced that we will get "the" child that we are supposed to get. Someone pointed out yesterday that this delay almost certainly means that the child we bring home will not be the same one we would have brought home if we had been traveling now. And yet even he was convinced that the child we will be getting is the "right" one.
Let me be clear: I myself believe this, too. But there is a specific basis for this: I believe there is a God who has a plan that will not be thwarted, and who uses even bad things (like bureaucratic delays!) to accomplish his purpose. The prime example of this is how God used a bad thing like the killing of his Son to reconcile us to God.
Many of the people I talk to do not have this view of God. Many don't profess any belief in God at all. I am curious as to why they are convinced that there is a "right" way for things to turn out, and that "what's meant to be will happen." Maybe this is something God teaches all of us, regardless of our interest or belief in him, by his grace.
I am certainly convinced that God has a plan for our child's life, and that we will get the "right" one :) I can't wait for you all to meet this little "right" one.
Friday, June 09, 2006
An Amusing Story + How I Am Like Angelina Jolie
Well, there's no news on the adoption front. However, I know some of you check this blog regularly and you might be wondering if I stopped using it. So let me re-iterate that whenever there is any news you will hear about it here!
Since there's no news, I'm forced to come up with something else to write - so I have an amusing story, and then a short reflection on adoption.
Amusing story:
I suppose many people, at some time or another, have tried to run up a "down" escalator. Most of the time this is for the challenge of it, or the scene is in some cliche comedy (in which hilarity ensues repeatedly). This week I was in Athens, Greece at a conference. Can you believe this is related? I was headed to the subway in Athens to get myself and my suitcase to the airport. In order to avoid taking up the whole width of the escalator going down to the trains, I decided to pull my suitcase directly behind me instead of slightly to the side. As I got onto the escalator, my suitcase hit a bump and I lost hold of it. Picture my surreal moment as I looked at my suitcase on the ground at the top as the escalator brought me down. (There was no one else there, as I'm sure they would have grabbed it for me). All I could think was "I'm going to lose sight of it, and hopefully it will still be there when I come back up the other escalator." Then I remembered - this was not an elevator. I was not frozen. So I did it - I booked it up the "down" escalator. It was a weird feeling, but I'm happy to say that I made it and rescued my suitcase! I am definitely in training for our future unpredictable adventure traveling in Russia.
Short Reflection:
On the plane yesterday (10 hour flight from Athens to NY) there was some news-type show in which Angelina Jolie was being interviewed about her relief work. I am not usually very interested in celebrities - they are just people who get way too much attention for their work (am I a jealous academic?). I'm even skeptical about the relief work they get involved in. But it was interesting - Angelina was asked about her two adopted children, from Cambodia and Ethiopia. The interviewer wanted to know how she explained the adoption to the kids, especially because she was (at the time of the interview) pregnant. She explained that she said to her little boy (I'm paraphrasing a bit), "You didn't grow inside mommy's belly, but there was a wonderful woman in Cambodia who did that for you and mommy is so thankful for her. She wasn't able to take care of you, and so you were alone, just for a little while, until mommy could bring you home." So there I sat, choked up and wiping my eyes with the airplane blanket, thinking about that "little while" that our little one is experiencing right now without a mommy or daddy. I am so glad that it will only be a little while! And I keep praying that God would help them know they are loved even now.
Hard to believe that Angelina Jolie and I have something in common. Maybe I shouldn't be so hard on celebrities.
Since there's no news, I'm forced to come up with something else to write - so I have an amusing story, and then a short reflection on adoption.
Amusing story:
I suppose many people, at some time or another, have tried to run up a "down" escalator. Most of the time this is for the challenge of it, or the scene is in some cliche comedy (in which hilarity ensues repeatedly). This week I was in Athens, Greece at a conference. Can you believe this is related? I was headed to the subway in Athens to get myself and my suitcase to the airport. In order to avoid taking up the whole width of the escalator going down to the trains, I decided to pull my suitcase directly behind me instead of slightly to the side. As I got onto the escalator, my suitcase hit a bump and I lost hold of it. Picture my surreal moment as I looked at my suitcase on the ground at the top as the escalator brought me down. (There was no one else there, as I'm sure they would have grabbed it for me). All I could think was "I'm going to lose sight of it, and hopefully it will still be there when I come back up the other escalator." Then I remembered - this was not an elevator. I was not frozen. So I did it - I booked it up the "down" escalator. It was a weird feeling, but I'm happy to say that I made it and rescued my suitcase! I am definitely in training for our future unpredictable adventure traveling in Russia.
Short Reflection:
On the plane yesterday (10 hour flight from Athens to NY) there was some news-type show in which Angelina Jolie was being interviewed about her relief work. I am not usually very interested in celebrities - they are just people who get way too much attention for their work (am I a jealous academic?). I'm even skeptical about the relief work they get involved in. But it was interesting - Angelina was asked about her two adopted children, from Cambodia and Ethiopia. The interviewer wanted to know how she explained the adoption to the kids, especially because she was (at the time of the interview) pregnant. She explained that she said to her little boy (I'm paraphrasing a bit), "You didn't grow inside mommy's belly, but there was a wonderful woman in Cambodia who did that for you and mommy is so thankful for her. She wasn't able to take care of you, and so you were alone, just for a little while, until mommy could bring you home." So there I sat, choked up and wiping my eyes with the airplane blanket, thinking about that "little while" that our little one is experiencing right now without a mommy or daddy. I am so glad that it will only be a little while! And I keep praying that God would help them know they are loved even now.
Hard to believe that Angelina Jolie and I have something in common. Maybe I shouldn't be so hard on celebrities.
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