I love the Winter Olympics.
I love watching the skiing and skating. I love the bobsledding. I love the snowboarding.
But this year... my heart is just not in it.
I see Put*n sitting in the stands and I want to turn off the TV.
I wonder aloud to Rob how many children are hidden away in the villages surrounding the Olympic Village. How many babes are living out their lives in mental institutes within miles of the competitions. I think about all the families who are quietly boycotting the games because their grief is too great to watch without remembering. Remembering their babes. The ones whom they called by name to be their sons and daughters. I think about how the vast majority will never ever get a chance to live inside a family.
I think about Yegor...Yes, that is Yegor. Who had a Mama who was just starting the process to get him...
I think about Yegor...Yes, that is Yegor. Who had a Mama who was just starting the process to get him...
And Sergei whom we yelled for over and over and over again..
And all these babes who HAD families in process...
I think about the people in a country just across the water who are struggling for the right to be free. I think about their quest for freedom against the tyranny of a President who is being bought by Put*n.
I can't get into the Olympics this year.
My heart is not there.
I worry about what will happen once they are over. Put*n will have no more reason to PRETEND to be the nice guy. I worry about those who are standing for freedom. I worry. I grief to know that the door shut on adoptions is even farther from opening.
I will still cheer for our athletes. I will watch occasionally.
But my heart is heavy.
I'm just not into it this year.
Right there with you Julia!
ReplyDeleteJulia, you express so eloquently what I have been feeling throughout these games - seeing P. applaud his country's young athletes makes me think of the children not so blessed by nature with strong bodies and intellect, but who share every bit of the sensitivities and feelings which those same young Olympians demonstrate.
ReplyDeleteDo these children not deserve equal attention and care from their country? Does not the care which their country provides them - or fails to provide them - speak as strongly about the morality of that country as do the victories of its coddled, trained-from-childhood Olympic athletes?
Thank you for speaking out. I hope your voice will be heard by those in a position to make a difference.
Susan in Ky
Cousin to 2 from U.
Yep! :(
ReplyDeleteOh my sweet Yegor, I cant believe how much he has grown!
ReplyDeleteI pray for him everyday and still hold out hope that one day he will be in my arms...
Thanks Julia for helping others not forget about these children. That is my biggest fear. That they will be forgotten and nothing will ever change for them. I did several interviews while I was in Russia and saw my documentary team. There are good people in Russia fighting for these children and my hope is that changes will come sooner than later for them. Here is my one article in the US. http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/us-mother-seeks-russian-parents-for-the-girl-a-law-prevented-her-from-adopting/2014/02/03/53d077ea-8b36-11e3-a5bd-844629433ba3_story.html also, if anyone wants to share the photo of the children who met parents you can go to my FB page and share it from there. https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10202775412602644&set=a.1597989825883.2087404.1120125577&type=1&theater
ReplyDeleteI 100% agree. I have kept tabs on the results but seeing all of the pictures and the horror stories of the conditions there, and that's what people see - I want to scream "There are kids waiting on families but they aren't allowed to be adopted!". And then I think we, as Americans, need to take the plank out of our own eye, so to speak. We have the ultimate horror of abortion and until we can stop that how can we expect anything to change? How are you not hopeless? I get so overwhelmed. I donated to alot of RR families in 2012 and then almost none in 2013 because I became so discouraged over the adoption ban. I truly admire your constant advocating for these beautiful children.
ReplyDeleteamen.
ReplyDeleteSame here Julia. You said it perfectly.
ReplyDeleteA bit more...there are at least seven orphanages and institutions in and around Sochi, some for children with special needs.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if Putin has made time to visit any of these places during the Olympics? I wonder if any of the orphaned children have been given passes to attend any of the events? And I wonder how many of those attending the Olympics from around the world are aware of these children, and these places?
Sadly, it seems that the pitiful stray dogs of Sochi have a much higher level of public awareness. Perhaps some of NBC's reporters might do a little investigative journalism, or is that too much to ask for during their much-hyped coverage?
After all, these orphaned kids and the places where they are forced to live are every bit as much parts of Russia as those magnificent venues - and stray dogs. Do they not deserve at least a little similar coverage??
Susan in Ky
Cousin to 2 from EE