Saturday's

We have been blessed with a very mild January with the temperature sometimes rising above zero. But we all knew it couldn't last. This Saturday I was a little surprised when I stepped outside and not only was my car covered in a layer of snow but I actually had to put my mittens on. My plan was to walk down to the library and get some books out but the moment I felt the cold I dug my keys out of my purse and hopped into my car.

I love going to the library. I usually need someone along with me hurrying me along so I don't spend hours there flipping through the books. Skimming them and deciding whether it is a book worth reading now, later or never. Soon my arms get tired and I look down and realize I probably have 15 books. Way to many to take home and I have to choose between my picks. I recently leave some behind with the promise to pick them up next week and I head home.

I put on the water to boil. Make a nice cup of hot peppermint tea and curl up on the couch with my books, and a blanket.

I think its a perfect afternoon.

Wanted: One Forever Family

Adoption - a legal proceeding that creates a parent-child relation between persons not related by blood; the adopted child is entitled to all privileges belonging to a natural child of the adoptive parents

From a young age we are taught that when children are adopted they are brought into a safe, loving and PERMANENT enviroment. They are taken from a place of uncertainty from many different circumstanced and brought to a mom and dad who will be there forever. A place where they can finally feel safe and know that their journey to a forever family is over, they are finally home.

Unfortuatly, the people that tell you this fail to mention that sometimes these adoptions have a return policy. That after a certain amount of time these children can be returned to the province to start the adoption process over. One child in our class has had this happen to him. Twice.

Twice he was brought into a family.

Twice he met his new mom and dad.

And twice he was returned.

He is four years old.

And now we just learned he was about to be given to another family. Luckily the social worker took his case very slowly this time. They showed the family videos. They described him in great detail and then the perceptive parents decided against it. I am just happy he never even got to met this family.

I know he has his share of problems. He can throw an tantrum like nobody I have ever met, but he is so cute and innocent that even in the middle of the worst he can possibly give us my heart still melts. What these parents missed out on is his adorable smile that lights up the room when he sees us. They missed out on his spontanous hugs that seem impossibly strong coming from such a little guy. They missed out on his laugh when he is super surprised or happy or delighted. Nobody is there to see him dancing along to the music, singing at the top of his lungs, and doing all the actions so dramatically.

This little guy needs a forever home that has two stable and loving parents that can keep up with him. A family who can see past all of his faults and see to the potential he has.

I wish I could adopt him.

Sick

My throat is sore and I have a horrible cough. It started on saturday and got worse today. All I feel like doing is sleeping.

So things I have done in the past week.

1) I have always loved using the photo editor on my computer to change photos and am always playing around with it. A couple of weeks ago my aunt approached me and asked me if I could add a certain person to the family picture. The didn't notice he was missing till after the photo was taken so they took a picture of him and gave both files to me. Turned out good eh?

Can you tell me which one is photoshopped??

2) Michelle and Shauna are leaving for the dominican today. I am so proud of all they are doing down there. I know that this is the second years for Shauna and several of the other people have formed alot of attachments to the people and children down there and its great they could go back to see them. I will be prayng for them. Safe travels team.

"Declare His glory among the nations, his marvelous deed among all people."

Psalm 96:3

Have you ever had..

Have you ever had one of those days where you just keep repeating to yourself... I love my job. I love my job. I love my job. I love my job. Trying to convince yourself that if you can just hold on till 2:30 everything will be okay. Well I have had one of those days.... twice now.

The week started on such a good note. The children were unusually well behaved and all the staff in the school were commenting on how quiet ours kids were. It was the calm before the storm.

The next morning I woke up with a feeling in my stomach that I could not get rid of, and I knew Tuesday was going to be bad. I was on bus duty and when I got to a certain bus the bus driver just rolled her eyes and said "Good luck today" Another TA and I had to physically remove her from the bus as she was screaming and refusing to leave. When we got her to the classroom we took off her coat and she was still in her PJ's. We opened her backpack found her clothes for the day and a little baggy with some pills inside it. It had a note attached to it that said the respite home she was in could not control her since the night before and that she had not slept yet or taken her pills for the day. Sigh.. Why even bother to send her in?

She had tantrums all day and I think I spent the whole day in the hallway trying to contain her. Poor girl. She never asked for her mom to drink when she was in womb and yet now her mother is far away and someone else is raising her child and dealing with the monster she created. Its not fair.

Today she was back under control and doing good. But it was still a horrible day. It just seemed to shift to another child. This child seemed fine but when we went to circle he started to act up. I turned my attention to another child for a moment and he grabbed his shoes off his feet and threw his shoes at another TA. I quickly removed him from circle and told him he could go back when he ready. He then tried to get the other TA and I moved him to the door and as I moved him he scratched my arms. And I mean scratched them, they look horrible. I sat with him for over half an hour before he could join the other group. What frustrates me the most about this situation is that we told the teacher about it and she is not willing to do anything about it. She refuses to put him on a behaviour plan because she thinks he is such a good kid and it must be something we do. GRRRR...... Maybe he has to attack her for her to do anything.


Anyway that is my rant for the day. I will leave you with a cute story.

One of the ladies at work is 8 months pregnant and she has a HUGE belly. One of the kids asked her about her belly and she told her she had a baby in her stomach. The girls looks at her with disgust and replies, " Ewwwww... You eat babies!"


Hahahaha...


PS I looked up worst tantrums on You tube and I could not find any tantrums even close to the tantrums we deal with at school.

I Need Africa More Than Africa Needs Me

When I think of Africa, the following images immediately come to mind: Starvation. AIDS. Child soldiers. Genocide. Sex slaves. Orphans. From there, my thoughts naturally turn to how I can help, how I can make a difference. "I am needed here," I think. "They have so little, and I have so much." It's true, there are great tragedies playing out in Africa everyday. There is often a level of suffering here that is unimaginable until you have seen it, and even then it is difficult to believe. But what is even harder is reconciling the challenges that many Africans face with the joy I see in those same people. It's a joy that comes from somewhere I cannot fathom, not within the framework that has been my life to this day.

The images spilling out of my television showed circumstances that could seemingly only equal misery, and I was fooled. I bought into the lie that circumstance defines happiness. The truth is, in Africa I find hearts full of victory, indomitable spirits. In places where despair should thrive, instead I find adults dancing and singing, and children playing soccer with a ball crafted of tied up trash. Instead of payback, I find grace. Here, weekend getaways are not options to provide relief from the pains of daily life. Relationships and faith provide joy. Love is sovereign.



My new reality… I know now that my joy should have no regard for my circumstances. I'm ashamed by my lack of faith, but at the very same moment I am excited by my new pursuit. I'm forced to redefine the meaning of having much or having little. I'm uneasy with the prospect of change and of letting go, but just the thought of freedom is liberating. I want what I have learned to trickle down from my head into my heart - I no longer want to need the "next thing" to have joy.

I'm not saying that Africa does not need our efforts. It absolutely does need our partnership. But for me, I've come to understand that I NEED AFRICA MORE THAN AFRICA NEEDS ME. Why? Because it is Africa that has taught me that possessions in my hands will never be as valuable as peace in my heart. I've learned that I don't need what I have and that I have what I need. These are just a few of this continent's many lessons. I came here to serve and yet I've found that I have so much to learn, and Africa, with all its need, has much to teach me.

30 by 30

I was reading a blog and I got this idea to make a list. These are thirty things I want to do before I turn the age thirty. I know somethings I might not achieve or they aren't meant to be but I am going to try accomplish all of them. So here is the list;

1. Get up early specifically to see a sunset
2. Run a half marathon
3. Climb a mountain
4. Get my first aid and CPR
5. Go whale and/or dolphin watching
6. Go skydiving
7. Drive a motorcycle
8. Sit on a jury
9. Become a foster parent
10. Go bungee jumping
11. Donate blood 30 times
12. Take a karate class
13. Read the bible from front to back
14. Pay for a meal for a stranger
15. Take a photography class
16. Buy a house
17. Get married and start a family
18. Go to a drive in theatre
19. Try a new cuisine
20. Visit a place important to Canadian history
21. Kiss someone in the rain.
22. Get my portrait drawn or painted
23. Read all the books on the New York Times Best Sellers list
24. Sing karaoke in public
25. Learn a second language
26. Go to ballet, opera, or orchestra
27. Cook a gourmet meal
28. Go camping and sleep under the stars
29. Visit 5 countries
30. Hold a spider or snake.

Some on the list will be very easy to do, some I am half way done, and some might take years but thats okay. What do you think??

Sunday Lunch

A couple of Sundays ago my uncle jokingly invited us to lunch at him house. He lives on his own and said he is still in the process of learning to cook. Last Sunday he told us that he bought a cookbook and wanted us to come over. I was impressed the soup was so good! He later admitted he practiced before we came over.


Uncle Rob stirring his delicious soup.

The final preparations on the lunch.

While we waited for lunch my dad, Megan, and my sisters made a puzzle. The whole afternoon was a lot of fun and now I guess we owe him lunch. He already requested apple pie for dessert so I guess it will have to be soon!

A Year in Photos

HAPPY NEW YEARS EVERYONE!!