The Arms that Hold the Universe

 Today on our morning show, we welcomed the group 33 Miles. The name of their group represents the age of Jesus and the journey of his life.  Listening to a live studio performance is definitely one of the best aspects of being in radio, it's such a gift to be able to hear artists with amazing voices belt it out! In the midst of our morning lighthearted zaniness, Jason and Chris transported me to Poland and brought tears to my eyes, thinking about the Lord holding our little girl, and all orphans who cry out .  This song is a powerful reminder of the magnanimity of God, and his loving mercy. I think many people will be comforted by "The Arms that Hold the Universe."   I hope you enjoy it too!






"His grace will lead you home."

Un-Planning

I had an obvious light bulb moment here:   international adoption is not compatible with the "planner" personality. :)   Lol!      It's so funny/odd to think about traveling to a new place and staying there for 6 weeks, but not being able to really plan for it.   I am used to micro-managing every aspect of trips, from weekend getaways to family vacations, and the more detail we have, the better.    This is completely different though!   We don't know what part of the country we will be traveling to, the history of the city and/or where we will even be staying or when.  One part of me wants to embrace the adventure, but the other part of me is freaking out!   Ha ha.   I think I would be more carefree about it if we didn't have our three boys in tow.   I am not even sure how to prepare?   
We have our passports, luggage and Polish language app on my iPad, but that's about it!

I will admit to slacking these last couple of months , but I think it's been a necessary detachment.  I have been trying to resume life as usual until we get some news.  I do have a question for adoptive families though.   Is there anything special we should bring for our first visit?   I would like to leave our daughter with something she could keep until we return  but I'm not sure if there are any special restrictions?   In my "un-planning" I feel like I still need to slightly plan for things like that.   I know if our child is in an orphanage, we may be limited?   I think I read that somewhere. 

Comic Book Cash-In

Happy February!   I thought  this month might bring news of a fund-raising effort to announce,  but it looks like it's a bust unfortunately.   What happened is,  a  few years ago I was helping my mom organize and and throw out some items in boxes.   I ran across a Marvel comic of Pope John Paul II.  I thought it was so unique and well done that I asked her if I could have it.   She said I could borrow it and,  well.... I've had it ever since.  Lol.      Anyway, with adoption expenses mounting  and our need for donations and funds increasing, mom hatched a plan.    A few weeks ago, the exciting announcement was made that Pope John Paul II would be beatified this year, and mom felt this would be a good time to sell the comic book.  She suggested we auction the "rare" edition on eBay,  and use the money for our adoption fund.  Great idea mom!    I have never seen a Pope John Paul II comic before,  and I thought she might be on to something.  Secretly, Jim and I hoped it would be like an episode of Antiques Roadshow when the appraiser reveals the item is worth thousands!   Ha ha.   Well, not so much.  :(   It turns out it's worth anywhere from $3-4.00 (although one copy did sell for a notable $200).    D'oh!  It seems my visions of a bidding war turned out to be as far fetched as winning Powerball. :)   It was fun to dream though.   Here are a few images from the comic, it really is a neat edition!
Marvel Comics Presents The Life of Pope John Paul II, 1982 one-shot. Written by Steven Grant, drawn by John Tartaglione.

   I will admit, the financial part has been the most challenging aspect of the adoption thus far.   We knew it would be though, and tried to prepare as much as possible going in.     There are some days where we don't know how we will do it,  but God has taken us this far and He will get us through.    It's also been comforting to look back and remember how clearly the Lord led us to Poland has guided us to this point.  

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord,  "Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future..."

Jeremiah 29:11

 In the words of Pope John Paul II in the comic book:   "In the name of obedience and in the total confidence of of his mother, the most holy Madonna."  I trust!!   :)

Blessed

Yesterday on the morning show, we shared the latest news (or non-news) on the adoption front.   It was so wonderful to connect with other listeners who have been in the same boat in one way or another.  It is such a gift to be a little fly on the wall and get to hear so many wonderful stories and amazing journeys.    I wanted to share one e-mail in particular I received yesterday.  It's written from the perspective of a sibling,  and his reflection on the waiting period.   He was in fifth grade at the time, and it reminded me of my oldest son Gabriel who is now in the fourth grade.  By the way, tissue alert warning about the song "Blessed" .  I have heard that song a million times but must've missed the message or not paid attention to the lyrics.  I cried buckets.
Brian writes:

"My family adopted my little sister from China in 1996. I was in fifth grade at the time, but I can still remember much of the adoption process pretty vividly. I remember well how difficult it was to be patient and to wait all those months prior to her coming home to us. When we finally got our referral, we had little more than a wallet sized picture, but we clung to that picture we everything we had. We made dozens of copies and blew it up (and we didn't even care that it was grainy and blurry at a larger size). We hung that picture everywhere and gave it to everyone because it was our only connection to the little girl on the other side of the world who was soon to become a part of our family. There's nothing anyone can say to make the time of waiting any easier, but I did want to share a song with you that we found to be very meaningful throughout that time. It's called Blessed by Elton John. Here's a YouTube link.    When we were waiting for my sister to come home, we bought the CD of this song and every time it came on the radio we would turn up the radio loud and the family would sing along as we waited for this girl who was still little more than a "child in our head".  You, your family, and your new child will be in my thoughts and prayers as you embark on this journey. Thank you for being so willing to share your story with us all - I love recalling all the memories of my sister as you share your story with us.

Peace

Brian"

Thank you Brian!  What a beautiful e-mail.

Be Anxious for Nothing

Lately, I have really been trying to recite, remember, and live by the widsom in Philippians 4:6: 
 "Do not be anxious about anything,  but in everything by prayer and petition with thanksgiving present your request to God. And the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus."

The part I keep getting stuck on is:   "the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your heart and mind."   My faith must be weak because instead of feeling a sense of peace, I find myself more tense.  The Lord certainly knows best how to sanctify and temper us,  and this has been a continued lesson in blind trust and PATIENCE.    I thought the infertility process was emotional!  Not to take anything away from that (there are enough roller coaster rides there) but with that aspect already added on to the journey I just feel weary and ready for some good news.    Like so many others, we are waiting for news of a child.  It could be today,  or two months from now.   Recognizing my weakness for waiting, I was happy to see this book today:

This book is a compilation of Advent reflections focusing on, you guessed it....waiting.  Although the Advent season is over now, I think this would be a good one any time!    My goal is to not lose sight of the gift of each ordinary day, not to rush away the weeks until we receive the phone call.    My husband is so much better that this than I am!   I guess part of my sense of urgency is, the feeling that we are keeping our daughter waiting.  I long to see her face and meet her.   In the meantime, life goes on and there is much to enjoy in the moment.  I am still a novice in the "art" of waiting, but thankfully I have the best master/teacher in the Lord. :)
 

Seeking the Finish Line

Happy (belated) New Year!    I am trusting 2011 will be a banner year for fellow families on the adoption journey.  I am excited to see the months unfold and I am getting pretty antsy in the process. :)    So much so, that I have decided I need to focus my impatient energy into a productive place.    If all goes as planned, my husband Jim and I are going to run our first marathon!    I am a runner anyway, and although I have completed 3 half marathons, a full 26.2 marathon was not something I envisioned doing in the next decade.  Due to the time commitment of training, I've always thought it was something better left for a time when our kids were older.    However, with so many unknowns with the upcoming year, I virtually cleared my calendar, stopped accepting speaking engagements, MC opportunities, and left everything open.   With the vague timeline of our adoption, I wanted to cover our bases.    What I realized last week is,  it also opens up a window of opportunity to train.   Also, with homeschooling the boys, we are together almost all day, so the guilt factor of going out for a 2-hour run in the evening is lessened.   Anyway, the only hiccup would be if we signed up and trained, but missed the race due to being in Poland. I am fine with that though!!  No problemo.    We thought about possibly running for donations or raising money for an adoption charity but I'm not sure. If we did end up missing the race, it would put us in a predicament so we are still thinking about that. We are planning to run the Cleveland Marathon in May. A great course! It's where I completed one of my half-marathon's a few years ago:




It's kind of crazy to embark on yet ANOTHER endeavor in our lives, but it feels right.  I have prayed about it and God has given me a healthy heart, lungs, legs, body and I am going to do my best to honor that and give Him glory.  I have learned that a marathon mimics the journey of adoption in many ways as well.   I smiled as I read a snippet from Kristin Armstrong's blog that really underscored my belief in that, as well as echoed my blog title   Kristin is the former wife of Lance Armstrong and a runner.  Here is what she says about "joy in the journey:"   

"Oftentimes the precursor to joy is a lot of hard work, which seems to oppose joy at the outset if you aren't careful or intentional. We have to find joy in the journey, not merely the fleeting accomplishments."


Also, this week we received a phone call from Lifesong for Orphans.  We applied for a grant and they are reviewing our application.   Praying, praying!   The Lord's will be done.  

Wigilia

Wesolych Swiqt!    That is:  Merry Holidays!     We learned that today at a beautiful Polish Christmas event. We were invited to a Wigilia celebration at our church and it proved to be a very special evening.    We learned that the primary Christmas celebration in Poland is much different than in America, and that the focus is really on Christmas Eve.  The children received gifts on the Feast of St. Nicholas (Dec. 6), so Christmas morning doesn't take on the same present-frenzy we have here.    Our friend Lilianna informed us that for the Christmas Eve Wigilia dinner, Poles present 12 dishes, which represent the 12 apostles.   Fish is on the menu (no meat)  and there is always an empty seat left open at the table. Hay is laid underneath the white tablecloth, and a wafer, called an "Oplatek" is broken and shared.   Here we are, ready to make the rounds and share our oplatek with our new Polish friends!  This was all new to us, but we felt right at home.

The food was fantastic!   I wish I could describe the dishes by name, but all I know is there were many breads, soups, pierogies and nut rolls, and they were all made to perfection! 

The evening was festive and fun-filled.    A wonderful Polish man named Tony shared the story of Szopka's (pictured here). It is a traditional Christmas Creche which originated in Krakow.

What a wonderful evening!    It was a time of singing, eating, and celebrating the beautiful Polish heritage.   Tonight we will go to bed with happy hearts and full bellies!   What a gift.