Just RK

"Hey, I need $5. Like, I need it bad. Would you help me?" I feel sure that for most of you, if this were me asking you on the sidewalk as we chatted at the park or as we paused to catch up in the aisle at Wal-Mart, you would be happy to share that with me. You would gladly meet that little need I had, and I would appreciate it greatly. But it's not life or death, usually. It's not about whether or not a child will survive or die a very lonely unpleasant death. Too dramatic for ya? Yeah, me too. Usually. But not this time. Don't bail yet...give me 60 seconds and then it's up to you. Little Lera has had families commit to adopt her and then run into unavoidable obstacles that made them unable to continue. I've not known any other child who has been waiting and on the brink of coming home so often only to once again go on the list of kids needing a family. Now her family is ready, all set, paperwork together. Praise God! But the money is the problem. ...

If you’re anywhere near St. Charles, Missouri… OR if you’re willing to COME to St. Charles, there’s a great reason to eat at Chevy’s this coming Saturday, October 23.    There will be a fundraiser for Dashlyn’s adoption fund at Chevy’s on Saturday, October 23, ALL DAY!  What do you need to do?  Just come and eat at Chevy’s !  That’s it! They will donate 20% of your bill to Dashlyn’s fund.  YAY! This is valid at the St. Charles location on Veteran’s Memorial Parkway, near Zumbehl and I-70. (And you need a little mini-flyer thing to give them for verification… click here to be able to print one . Don’t forget to take it with you!)  If you have any trouble, drop me an email and I’ll send the document to you.  It can take a few seconds to open the file from the link. Julie and Allan have been given their SDA appointment in Dashlyn’s country, and they’ll be leaving to go meet their girl on 10/30.  So soon!  Woo hoo!!!!  D...

I don’t have one, but I’ve got a friend or two who would NOT be without theirs. Stephanie is offering up an iPod touch in efforts to raise funds for this little beauty to find a home.  Her name is Tori, she is in Eastern Europe, having already been transferred to the dreaded mental institution when she turned four, and she has a diagnosis of cerebral palsy. Stephanie just returned from rescuing her two precious boys from this country, she saw the conditions that so many sweet children live in.  She has a heart to help them find homes, and she’s putting her money where her mouth is and putting up the iPod touch for incentive for others to join the effort. It’s great. I will help her spread the word. Absolutely. But really, it’s a little sad to me that we need to offer fancy prizes for people to donate five or ten bucks.  It’s still sad to me that people can’t just hear that this child will in all probability die in the institution where she lives with others...

Today Braska returned to school after being off all last week with a fever that wouldn’t quit, and when it finally did, would show up again shortly.  She was all good on Saturday and Sunday, so off to school we went this morning. The nurse called mid morning to inform me that she had a fever again.  Good times. I decided to call the pediatrician, since it’s been over a week with this fever stuff.  She wanted to see us, so in we went.  (Thanks to Julie for keeping KiKi on short notice so I didn’t have to wrangle two girls during naptimes.) Dr. A agrees that the odd little symptoms and strange happenings lately may very well be related…but we’re not sure how.  (Fingernails splitting in the middle, horizontally, peeling off in very odd ways. Behavioral changes that don’t make any sense. Obviously, 9 days of fever, give or take one or two in there somewhere. Congestion. Dry mouth. Loose stools. Agitation that seems like pain, but only in small, isolated bursts, ...

No this is not a retro commercial for phone service. It’s a chance to win an iPod Touch and benefit a little boy who is soon to come home to his forever family…all in one little step! Shelley has posted all the details for dear Lisa, who is raising money for a family to adopt the child she has been praying for, Zhora, soon to be called Levi. All donations are tax deductible through Reece's Rainbow. Each $10 donation will enter you one time in the drawing for the iPod Touch. $20 enters you twice and $25 enters you 3 times in the drawing. All donations go directly to Zhora's grant fund. If you are not able to donate or don’t really need an iPod Touch, then please at least post the button for others to see.  Entries can be made until July 24th. Click here for more details!! <a href="http://www.only1mom.com/2010/06/ipod-touchand-another-orphan-coming.html"><img src="http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x198/wish4rk/levi-adv...

Ok, so maybe “borrow” isn’t the right word.  Can I sell it for you?  The only catch is that you don’t get the moolah. Say what? By now, you’ve heard more than once from me about Dashlyn , Julie’s newest daughter, who we hope to get to meet in person this fall (or even late summer…if I’m hoping bravely!).  Julie and Allan are adopting her from Eastern Europe, and this is an expensive venture to undertake.  They have done a good job of tightening the budget and getting creative in order to make it happen.  But we’re putting together a garage sale on June 5 with all of the proceeds going toward the adoption, to help them be sure to have all that’s required for travel and fees.  If you’re anywhere around the St. Louis Metro area, and you’ve got stuff you’d like to clear out of your closet or playroom or garage…let me know! I’ll even come pick it up if you’re not too far away! If you’re not close by geographically, but you’d like to contribute to the ado...

Many of you know about Carly's sad story . Michelle from Big Blueberry Eyes is organizing a great gift in memory of Carly for her family. When these things happen, so many of us want to "do something" but it's hard to know how to help. This is a great idea and will be so appreciated.

I’ve blogged about Reece’s Rainbow often. (Though not recently, I realize now.  Bad me!)  But there is now a new venture called Connecting the Rainbow that is working with families who choose to keep their little ones with DS in countries that don’t have any support system for them.  The goal, of course, would be a time when there is no need for international adoptions because the parents are keeping their little ones with disabilities and had a good support system in the society to care for them.   Grab This Button Connecting the Rainbow is focusing on Bulgaria right now, and they have a very cool opportunity to help right now.  Beyond Play is a therapeutic toy company that has agreed to give 15% of all items purchased from CTR’s wish list back to CTR.  It’s a great chance to buy a toy for their cause, or for yourself, and contribute to CTR at the same time.  I am so privileged to have come to know via blogs, forums, and email the friends w...

Today was a good day, though it started very hectic and stressful, it ended pretty darn well.  Time is short right now, so I’ll summarize and let M elaborate for you one part of it. First, this morning, my friend Julie went above and beyond.  Not in grand measures, but in helping me with errands and surviving another one of my very frustrated times of hurried and over-busy stress.  She has a great way of making things work out, and the stress was calmed  in short order.  Oh, and Kinlee got fed en route to other errands…also a very key element to the story. Then the girls napped at the same time.  Nuff said! The big news today is that M’s group at work surprised him at the Christmas lunch with an overwhelming gift extravaganza.  When he showed up at home with it at 5pm, needing wonderful little elves to help him bring it in the house, I was caught off-guard and very moved.  After a moment or two looking at everything, I just sat speechless....

If you grew up in church, especially protestant and midwestern, you probably know the song “There Shall Be Showers of Blessing.”  It was an upbeat, happy song, one I sang for all my years growing up, and I probably knew all 5 verses at one point in my life.  There shall be showers of blessing, Oh, that today they might fall… This was a favorite phrase of mine, in verse 4, I think.  I look at it now and I like that the whole song was asking, and even believing that showers of blessing would fall, but it wasn’t assuming that it would be today.  Yet in this section, we would all sing in agreement that it sure would be nice if it were today. Well, today we received showers of blessing.  I can’t come up with a better way to say it.  Though, the truth is that we’ve been receiving some good sprinkles the last couple weeks.  One day it was a card with some cash from a “Secret Santa” at M’s work.  Humbling . One day it was a couple of ...

I saw Bethany refer to a website called Wish Upon a Hero , so I thought I’d check it out.  In about 10 minutes I’ve already come across a couple wishes that I can “grant” with things I’ve been needing to get rid of anyway!  How perfect is that! Since we’re not giving gifts this year due to our budget limitations, this is a nice little substitute for me.  I love giving, and it’s especially nice to give to people I don’t know and won’t be gushing over how nice it was that I shared with them every time I see them….because I probably won’t see them.  That is NOT to say that it’s not nice to be thanked and such, but sometimes it’s easy for me to get a little high from getting that pat on the back.  And I don’t want giving to be about me, it’s about the gift, unconditional and given without strings.  And this site seems to be exactly all about that. It’s still weird to see the Christmas tree up with nothing under it (again, not that we miss receiving, but I ...

So much to write about. No time to write. Braska’s 3. Alot of thoughts. Three years flew, but yet it didn’t. If you ask her, she’ll tell you it was a “happy burfday” and she’s “phree!” The IEP. Came, went, and I’m glad. It was a big process. I probably made it bigger, but I’m pleased with how it all went, and I’m not convinced it would have gone so well had I not made it a big deal. But I’d like to document for me and for those of you who will be crossing that threshold soon. So much learned. Finances. No one likes to talk about or probably hear about them, but we all live it. We’ve just this month implemented a very strict budget (like in a spreadsheet, no room for cheating), changed several things, and I’m still struggling to adjust. I thought it would come easier to me, but it didn’t. I’m blessed with a few little elves around who help me get through when I need a QT cappuccino fix for $1.28, because all such frivolities got left on the cutting room floor. And it’s almost tim...

I can be grouchy and I can whine with the best of them, but I have much to be thankful for and I make a point to spend time thanking God EVERY morning and EVERY evening for the things in my life, not all good things, but things that bless or teach me in some way. This morning, though, I’m amazed at his provisions for another family and for a little girl. Many of you have undoubtedly heard of Darya and the mission of 11-year-old Lydia on her behalf. A little girl determined to rescue her new little sister and bring her home. Her mom agreed to adopt Darya if Lydia could raise $20,000 in 8 days, by today! And she DID IT! Far over $20,000 in fact!!! Go read the story and announcement of success . Really, do NOT miss this chance at seeing truly what giving is all about. I read it to M this morning and got all choked up. First because little Darya is in a place where she is not even held or spoken to. How wrong is that?!? But mostly that she will be coming home. She has a family who...

All this talk of giving and making sacrifices... and here's a classic example that blew me away. It does my heart good to see that there are those out there who are not afraid to do the right thing. Please take a few minutes to watch this very encouraging story . GMA Thank You to Ralph

I just found out about a need, and you can help. Yes, even you over there! The Newbold family is in the Ukraine right now to bring home their little girl with DS. They had a daughter with DS who died from leukemia at age 2. They have since committed to adopt two children, one is home, and now they are there to get little Dasha. I don't know them at all, but they are working through Reece's Rainbow. They have just learned that the amount they were told by the government to have ready is incorrect, and they are short $2000. They also have to come home without their daughter, for the second time, as they can't get the final adoption process done until next month now. So more plane tickets must be purchased. And so their expenses are sudden and significant. I can't imagine how devastated they must be! And how difficult when they thought they would be coming home with their best Christmas present!! I gave right away. I just had to. This is what our community of bl...

After a recent post on giving, I want to clarify a few things, and expound upon a few more. In the midst, I'll answer a few questions...they're not in the comments, don't feel like you have to go look. First, on Christmas gifts-- I'm SO not opposed to gifting in general! I love to buy gifts for people. I love to buy stuff for people all year round, just whenever I see something that someone might like or has mentioned. I love to go all out on birthdays and anniversaries for M. And up until a couple years ago, I was also all about buying Christmas gifts. It's not that I am NOT into it now, it's just that we have found that we cannot afford to do as we previously could. (That whole gave-up-half-our-income-thing.) Some of it is the actual number and math, and some is just priorities. And we also found that many of our gifts, though appreciated, were not needed and in some cases were in the way or more hassles than helps. Our family had a big yard sale this fall, a...

I just went and made my second round of "gift buying" at Reece's Rainbow. We did this last year and are doing it again. The response from our team last year was amazing. Alot of us buy for Sunday School teachers, school teachers, therapists, daycare providers, etc. It's can be a chore to find the right thing, and if we admit it, most often what we give is either edible (not that it's bad!) or it's a dust collector. The thought is nice, but who really benefits? So we started last year with donating to Reece's Rainbow in honor of our therapists and service coordinator. They were so touched, and a couple of them actually ended up paying it forward and using the idea for some of their gifting as well. I heard from more than one of them that they get so many nice things, but they really don't *need* any of it, so this was a way to be appreciated but have it help someone who really DOES need it. I just gave them Christmas cards with a note inside tha...