Audacity of hope

This year, as we all watch the shimmy and shake of presidential hopefuls jockeying for American’s favor, I find myself caught in a refreshing twist of opportunity.

In my Independent, happily non-political mind, I have come to the general acceptance that the Democratic Party has the greatest chance of taking the White House. And while I’m certain there are reasons to be concerned with this, I find myself quite excited about the possibility. As I look at the two prospective options for Democratic presidents, I feel a tremendous sense of hope; albeit, for entirely non-political and non-issue reasons.

we wait

It has been 271 days since our dossier was completed and ready for action in Ethiopia. And that is after the prior months of forms, fingerprints, interviews, home visits, background checks, references, and more forms.

We are now in the middle of the waiting game. And so, we wait. and wait. and wait. and wait.

I’m living vicariously through Mandy

After several months of crazy, I finally had time to sit down the other day to email a new friend of mine, Mandy Morell.  We met at the African Children’s Choir concert this summer, and I was immediately impressed by her sense of confidence, purpose and follow-through.Responding to my email, she said that she wouldn’t be available for coffee until May because… she is in Ethiopia!  As seems to be her nature, she started a new volunteer program in Ethiopia and will be spending her winter there and in India.  How great is that?!Check out her adventures via her blog:  http://anchoragedailynews.blogspot.com/  Living your dreams?  Priceless.   

A dog’s life

Okay… a quick confession.  I’m dogsitting right now.  Ten days.  Watching two small dogs.  First I must say that they are truly cute and full of life; almost too much life. 

The challenge is that they aren’t the best behaved pups I’ve ever been around (sorry, my friends who might be reading this…).  After a week of picking up strewn trash, placing pampers on them when they come inside, chasing them off the furniture, fussing at them to quit barking, and getting up all night long to let them go outside, I’m beginning to question myself.

If I can become so frustrated by two little pups… am I going to be able to handle two little kids?  I realize that raising children is a very different adventure, but I can’t help but admit that I’ve become just a little concerned.

Phil Borges: Capturing the World

Of all the things that I truly love, photography is among the top three.  When we first got married, Toby knew of this interest and bought my first great camera for my birthday: a Pentax K-1000, war-journalist proven manual camera.  As is his poetic way, on the solid metal base he inscribed, Develop yourself. Capture the world.

Of all forms of photography, my favorite are portraits taken in the natural environment; revealing the soul of both subject and viewer.  Of these artists, Phil Borges leads them all. Along with several tours and collections, Borges has created four amazing books to share the stories of his experiences.  Women Empowered shares the lives of women in third-world countries, who have risen above their cultural roles to make lasting change in their communities.  Enduring Spirit captures the strength and lives of indigenous people around the world.  Tibetan Portrait tells the story of Tibetan refugees to India, fleeing communist China.  And The Gift follows the story of underprivileged peoples who have been given a chance at a new life by doctors of more advanced countries. 

Captivating.  Thought-provoking.  Inspiring.  Convicting.  Amusing.  Warming.

Which artist captures you?

Mesgana Dancers

The more I research Ethiopia, the more I am overwhelmed by the amazing culture, mystifying land, and beautiful people that make up this country.  One such find is the Mesgana Dancers, a troupe of young Ethiopian girls currently touring the United States to raise awareness of the Children of Ethiopia Education Fund (COEEF) and Ethiopia Reads.  Capturing the emotion, passion, struggle, resilience, strength and pride of their people, these young women pull back the curtains into a mysterious world unfamiliar to many. If you’d like to see take a peek inside their lives, catch them somewhere along their visit or check out their website and watch video of the 2006 tour. 

To Baby or Not to Baby

One of the challenges of infertility is determining the level of interest in parenthood.  When a person is able to conceive naturally, the decision to be a parent is made for them.   However, when a person realizes that natural conception is not an option, a whole new world of issues is opened up.  The first is determining if the desire for parenthood is real enough to justify the emotional roller coaster of fertility treatments and/or adoption.   Parenthood for those facing infertility means going through years of medical procedures, each month wondering… Maybe today?  It means spending thousands of dollars on hope that is uncertain at best.  And it means allowing every inch of your life to be thoroughly examined by strangers to determine whether or not your cleanliness habits, finances, relationships, and personal dreams are worthy of a family. 

Summer schmummer… I want to read?!

Okay, so I think I’m losing my mind.  Alaska is having some of the greatest weather in months – skies are deep blue, mountains are brilliant, sun is long and warm like a lonesome kiss, and opportunities abound to climb, hike, swim, bike, kayak, ride, and overall bask in the glory of nature.

Even so, all I want to do is devour any and all information about adoptions.  Ridiculous.  This is the time to get out and live, yet my only interest is to stay in and read.

Tonight, Toby and I went to a great Bible Study group and had an amazing time.  Afterward, Toby headed out with a friend to a Matisyahu concert, and I headed home.  As I drove down the highway, I glanced to my right toward the rocky coastline and on my left watched the mountains rise up to the late-night sun.  It would have been a great night to grab Starbucks and head up the mountain for a brilliant drive. 

Instead… here I am.  Writing and reading blogs about adoption and Ethiopia and children and adventure. 

Pitiful.  Delightfully pitiful.

Adopting from Africa

I ran into this amazing writer on one of the Ethiopia adoption support group lists.  This is a great article to shed a little light on international adoptions.Melissa Faye Greene speaking with NPR on adopting from Africa

FAQs

After a continued barrage of interrogations, I’ve decided to answer some of the more common questions that have hit us regarding our adoption plans.

What? To start, Toby and I are in the middle of adopting two, young siblings from Ethiopia. While we started this process a short while back, we did not initially share it publicly for a number of reasons. Primarily, after several failed adoption attempts, we couldn’t bear the thought of enduring another blow under the watchful gaze of others.  However, we’ve since decided that we want to share the joy, heartache, excitement, fear, and angst that comes with adoption, with our friends and family; after all, this a tremendous part of who we are.