Saturday, October 2, 2010

Helianthus and Adoption Update

Thanks to the very warm (record breaking) September, I finally get to see my Helianthus sunflower in full bloom!

We are leaving today for Addis Ababa, where we will have our court hearing on October 6. But more importantly, we will meet our two children. And this is what we have been living for.

God bless us on our journey to Ethiopia...




Sunday, June 27, 2010

Referral Day
Thursday, June 3, 2010 - getting ready for Spa Weekend with Christa. Showered, curling my hair, trying to get my team on the phone (on my day off) due to a misdirected FedEx. Phone rings - it is from 781 area code. Erin is calling; I was just thinking of calling her to let her know I will have spotty cell phone coverage until Tuesday.
Wait! Erin is calling!
I can barely unlock my Droid to answer. I hear her voice on the other end of the line, and yes, this is the call we have been waiting for. Two cherubs, matched to us! Praises!
We try to add Dennis to the line unsuccessfully - no worries - I will take notes and review it all with him again ASAP. Everything about the morning that seemed important is suddenly wholly unimportant.
One boy, one girl. He's 3 (we later learn closer to 4) and she's 2. Pictures of their beautiful little faces, sad and scared. My eyes tear up. My heart swells. I close my eyes and picture their eyes brighter and faces smiling. I get goosebumps. Thoughts of "where do I sign?" tempered by remembering that we need to have the medical review done, and pray. But because all of the paperwork looked great, I knew right away. I trust God's plan of moving them in our direction after the tragic events of their lives.
And so we begin the life-giving tasks that bring them closer to us: creating photo albums to send to Ethiopia, getting vaccines, applying for visas, re-documenting our financial ability, rearranging the house, continuing to pray, etc.
We are so blessed.

Saturday, May 22, 2010



An outstretched hand - to give or receive.

I actually wrote this post two years ago, and only now realized I never posted it...

Some Saturdays ago we attended worship and the gospel reading was Mark 1:29-39. This is the story of Jesus healing Simon’s mother-in-law of a fever, then healing all of the sick townspeople, and then moving on; it was early in his ministry. Pastor Chad’s sermon was (and I do PC a disservice here by oversimplifying), in part, about reaching out to others and healing them. Or raising them up. However you want to interpret it. In the evening Dennis and I attended Iris Dement’s Denver concert at the Soiled Dove Underground. It was, by the way, fabulous. But I bring this up because she sang a song from her Lifeline album, “He Reached Down.” What, twice in one day? This is the kind of personal message from my divine that I cannot ignore.

So, in combination with that weekend’s focus on reaching out to and investing in others, I must consider to whom I am reaching out and what, if any, impact I am having. I confess I feel deflated in this regard. In the various puzzles of my every-day life, the pieces seem to be scattered outside the border, waiting to find their locked-in place. I thought I was reaching out and investing, but still life feels scattered. How do I start putting the pieces in their place?

I don’t have an answer yet. To find this answer I try to be mindful through transition. I am truly blessed that others are investing in me, and while this may not always solve every problem, it does bring some degree of hope. Clarity should follow.

My wish for you is that all is well in your life.

To whom are YOU reaching out?

Sunday, April 25, 2010

NEAR the end of April,
On the verge of May --
And O my heart, the woods were dusk
At the close of day.
Half a word was spoken
Out of half a dream,
And God looked in my soul and saw
A dawn rise and gleam.
Near the end of April
Twenty Mays have met,
And half a word and half a dream
Remember and forget.

William Stanley Braithwaite

Sunday, April 11, 2010


Hi Rebecca and Dennis,
Your age request has been officially changed on the wait list to:
A sibling group of two children, with at least one boy: 0-60 months at the time of referral.

Best,
Erin

Erin Wise, LICSW
Africa Case Manager
Wide Horizons For Children