Dreaming again....

This week has been AWFUL. On all fronts---adoption related, managing a busy home life (not a all well I might add), at work and with my health. My fibromyalgia has been rearing it's ugly head in full force this week. I'm sure the overload of stress is 95% of it, with frequent weather changes adding the other 5% --oh joy.

With all that going on, my already poor sleep has been even worse than usual. When I do sleep it is fitful. Which leads me to this morning.

I can't remember all the details, but I was blessed with a dream. That might not sound weird to most of you, but it's a BIG deal for me because I usually don't sleep deep enough to dream anymore. So dreaming equals resting.

Here's the best part: my dream was about a family reunion that we were attending on my mom's side. They have all been so excited for Nash to come home. In the dream I was very aware that Nash wasn't with us. I couldn't make out any individuals, I just knew it was all my aunts, uncles and cousins.  They were asking if we had any new news. Then suddenly the one face that I could see clearly in my dream was of my Mamaw Margie.

It was as if she had parted the crowd to come comfort me. She touched my arm and said comforting words to me that filled me with peace. You see, my Mamaw has been in heaven for almost 8 years now. She died about 3 weeks before Chloe was born. I always had a very special bond with her even though we lived far away. 

I'm not sure what, if anything it means, but I know that I woke up with a smile on my face after a dreadful week.

Thanks, Mamaw.......I love you!

Isaiah 26:3  You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast,

because they trust in you.

~Brooke

STUCK

Life imitating art....

This time last year I was a volunteer for the Cincinnati stop of the nationwide tour of a documentary named Stuck. Check out the trailer here:  www.stuckdocumentary.com 

It's an award-winning film that was made by an adoptive dad to raise awareness about the current state of international adoption.

As I sat with the other audience members, on the verge of finally traveling to meet Nash for the first time, never did I image that one year later I would be STUCK in the international adoption maze. We went into the adoption process with eyes wide open, expecting the unexpected. We even counsel couples that come to our adoption classes that anything can happen in adoption. That you have to go into it as educated and mentally/spiritually prepared as you possibly can be. But.....wow. The mirror image that I now see reflected back from this powerful movie is uncanny.

The tears I cried as I sat heartbroken for the parents in the film that were separated from their children due to mindless rules, clerical errors, apathy...... I had no idea that tears would be shed for some of the EXACT same reasons for my own adoption just months later.

I encourage you to view this film. Not just to understand our adoption plight, or someone else that you may know that is adopting. More importantly, that you too, will understand the desperate need that these children have for champions to fight for their cause. The rest of the world is either ignorant to the fact that millions of orphans exist (I once was) or they turn a blind eye to the fact once they know.

I challenge you to grab your favorite drink, some tissues, and block out 90 minutes to find out what really is happening to orphans growing up with out families. Then decide what you might be able to do to help.

You can stream Stuck on www.netflix.com or at www.stuckdocumentary.com


The picture below was taken at Nash's orphanage. There are over 120 children living there. The majority of them will NEVER be adopted. NEVER have a mommy & daddy tuck them in at night. This is just 1 orphanage x 120 kids x at least 100 more orphanage in just the country of Ghana! There are 5 million orphans in Ethiopia. Estimates of upwards of 1 million orphans in China. I could list all the countries and all the statistics, but it would fill up the page and make your head spin.

The one fact I know: God created every single 1 of them to have abundant life and to know that they are LOVED by him!! Every child deserves a family.

~Brooke

You might be a waiting adoptive parent if.....

10. You're up at 12:00am searching YouTube for random new video postings of your child's orphanage that you may have missed the other 486 times you've searched.

9.  You realize at 1:00am that you've seen ALL the videos that exist and your son is in exactly ZERO of them, but somehow it makes you feel closer to him.

8.  Having thoroughly searched YouTube, you now start reliving the trip to meet your son by looking at all 900+ pictures that you took. It is now 1:45am. You are now a complete emotional mess. (And you have to work in the morning.)

7.  You are just as angry about all the snow as everyone else this winter.......except you realize that it is because your son is missing it. Your son that giggled at pictures of his brothers and sisters shoveling the "white stuff" and said it looked like fun.

6.  You're tired of asking people to pray for you. I mean we really, really appreciate the prayers, but for goodness sake....we must sound like a broken record!!

5.  You secretly think people are starting to think you're making the whole thing up. Yep, this one has crossed my mind folks. Are they really still adopting this kid?? What on earth could be taking this long?

4.  You're tired of experiencing all the emotions of pregnancy, but without anyone recognizing it.  I've held this precious boy in my heart for the last 28 months. I finally got to hold him in my arms over 8 months ago. I can't begin to describe the emotional roller coaster we've been through on our journey....and it's not over yet.

3.  You've met your child and promised him your coming back for him........and you are TERRIFIED that he feels abandoned. Please pray for his little heart to really believe that we are coming back.

2.  You're not 100% at anything anymore because a huge part of your life is incomplete. You stink at being a wife, mom to your other children, worker, daughter, friend, servant of Christ. You name it....I pretty much do it poorly these days. Every day is a struggle to not just curl up in the fetal position in bed and give up.

1.   No matter how much it hurts, or how long it takes, or how much it continues to test your faith.......YOU WON'T GIVE UP!

John 14:18  I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.

~Brooke