Tuesday, February 1, 2011

While We...

While we rejoice at the births of our children, counting their fingers and toes, holding them, loving them, memorizing every single part of them, making exuberant phone calls to family and friends, snapping hundreds of photos and praising God for their arrival...
There is only mourning at their births.  Hushed voices insisting that the family would be better off without them.  Tears of sorrow.  Cries of pain.  Little ones left, abandoned, alone. Mamas and Papas leaving the hospital empty-handed, grief-stricken.



While we rush in to pick up and console each whimper, walk the floors at night to soothe them in their cries, sing lullabies and whisper words of love in their ears,

They lie silent in their cribs, having learned that their cries are never answered, their distress goes unnoticed, and their pain must be suffered without relief.



While we savor every milestone, record every new experience, celebrate every accomplishment,

They lie day after day staring at the rails in their cribs, rocking quietly back and forth, waiting and hoping that the next feeding will fill the constant hunger in their bellies.



While we lovingly buy good food that little palates will enjoy, and carefully prepare it so that our children will eat without choking,
They are lined up in assembly-line fashion, the food force-fed down their throats. They swallow as fast as they can, gagging as much food down as possible before their turn for feeding has ended.



While we watch over them on the playground, making sure that they are safe and that no one will harm them,
They know what it is to be shoved and slapped, hit and tripped.  They have no one to defend their rights or stick up for them when they have  been wronged.



While we take them to their events, games, practices, productions,
They sit tied straight-jacket style in their chairs and play pens, with no toys and little stimulation, listening to an occasional car drive by, longing for more but not knowing truly what more there is...




While we dress them carefully for their first day of school and fill a box with each of their reports and accomplishments,
They are set aside, considered uneducable, mentally deficient and not capable of learning.



While we give them medicine when they are sick or in pain,

They are given medicine to keep them drugged so they will lay quiet in their cribs.




While we pack the car for the yearly family vacation,
They are packed into the car and transferred to the mental institute.



While we rejoice that they are growing and becoming more independent, knowing that one day they will grow up and move on,

They sit in empty rooms and sheds with nothing to do, day after lonely day, year after lonely year.




While we live a life that is full and rich and overflowing with all that God has entrusted to us, they live a life that is empty and lonely, without color and without love.



While we do our thing......

They wait.... they rock.... they sleep to escape... they bang their heads against the sides of their cribs to remind themselves that they are alive.... they scratch their skin over and over to experience touch..... they grind their teeth down to nubs in frustration and boredom....they stuff their entire little hands into their mouths to the point of choking for comfort....they moan quietly to cover up the silence..... they hit and pinch themselves believing that somehow this will ease their suffering.... they wait.... they wait.... day after day they wait....

While we do our thing.....


If you feel called to help - in any way - through adoption, giving, prayer or service - contact Andrea at Reece's Rainbow.  She is only an e-mail away!!

19 comments:

  1. Very powerful, Julia.

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  2. My son Patrick once lived like this. I hated to know he had to endure this for two years. And yes it has effected him greatly and he is now ten years old. At age two years he weighed only 9 pounds at age ten years now up to 40 pounds. I still cry knowing I can not make up for these two years of his precious life only to know I can make a difference for the remainder. we are adopting once again a little girl Chrissie. www.nachalaadopt.blogspot.com My heart is for these little children I pray everyone who reads can make a difference and stop this cycle of an orphan dying and living without a family to love them. Since 1999 my husband Gary and myself have advocated for the children of Ukraine and now adopting through Bulgaria hope and pray our family can ask every who considering adoption to follow your heart. We thank God everyday for our children and know in our hearts and tell you openly they have been a blessing to our family. Please consider adopting or support a family who is adopting, advocate for an orphan or simply tell a friend about adoption.. GOD BLESS

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  3. A new perspective to my day... very moving! Thanks for writing it - I am sure it was not easy.

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  4. Linking here again Julia... people need to SEE this... they need to know the sounds, the sights, the smells... God please hold these precious babies...

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  5. Oh Julia....heartbreaking...of course. We must keep working...and praying others will pick up some of the work.

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  6. You have me in tears. It's so hard to understand all this, isn't it? Hugs

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  7. Crying and hoping to be with our little waiting 6 year old daughter-to-be soon!!! I hate that she has been waiting for so long for someone to come to her, and making it each day by hoping that she is NOT transfered while she waits.

    Julia, you sure know how to get the point across, with heart, feeling, and honesty. You are an amazing woman, mother and advoacte, and you make the world a better place. Thank you.

    Blessings, love and hugs,

    Sara, adopting Kameron

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  8. Wow, maybe not the best thing to read an hour before I have to leave this place... Your words paint a picture that my eyes know far too well... Weeping as I read this but as you said, I know that the tears are good and right and like you, I don't want them to stop. Thank you for featuring some of my angels in this post. May God envelope each and every one of these precious ones in His loving arms.

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  9. There is nothing to add to that post. Moving, convicting, sad and inspirational at the same time. Nadia has been home 7 months now but still rocks, grinds her teeth, has 'nightmares', etc. And that was only after 2 1/2yrs. in an orphanage. So, so, sad...and unnecessary!

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  10. do you mind if I ask what place your photos are from.... I know you might have to be sensitive...so my email is kulpinchina@yahoo.com, thanks.... mom to shea from #9, praying there will not be a transfer....

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  11. Thank you, this is very powerful. Very painful reality.

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  12. You have such an incredible gift for words Julie. Thanks for this timely reminder of how real the orphan crisis is. May God bless your efforts.

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  13. This post should be played in our churches! Powerful, Julia!

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  14. Not a day goes by that I don't think about these things. Thank you for helping us "do our thing" which is getting our boys out of there!!
    Love you and what you do:)

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  15. Very well said, Julia. It is hard to believe now that our children came from places like the ones in your pics... and worse to remember those who are still there.

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  16. I had to come back here this morning and see this again. I shared it with my hubby and daughter as well. Because of all that's been falling apart here, I needed to see what these little ones are going through to appreciate what I do have. Thanks again for sharing this...don't ever stop. Hugs

    btw - are there lost girls as well?

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  17. Powerful, powerful, powerful. Thank you for being another voice to help the helpless. God bless you.

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Loving words from kind people make our hearts glad!