It's Too Quiet Here Tonight

28 people descended upon our little house in the woods yesterday.

My family.

My brothers and sister. Dad.

All the nieces and nephews and their wives.

28 people who didn't all make it into the same picture at the same time... but we had a place at a table for every single one.

It was a precious time.

My mom died in 2001 and this was the first time since then that the entire family... every single solitary member... was together.

We played.

We stuffed ourselves.

We took sides in the Dallas/Redskin football game and cheered wildly.

We were blessed with a gorgeous day and evening.  Trampoline fun. Bike riding. Flashlight tag.

The next morning 16 of us shared breakfast together. Rob and I had a blast making bacon and eggs and waffles and cinnamon rolls.

It went by too fast.  Goodbyes are hard. 

Dad was sad to see his children and grandchildren leave. 

Our little house in the woods is too quiet tonight.

I miss them.

My family.

Yep. He's tied.

I am so far behind this year!!

Sweet little Ronald is my MACC child this year, and I have only dedicated ONE bitty blogpost to him.

I AM SO SORRY LITTLE GUY!! You deserve so much more than just one little blogpost. 

Sweet babe deserves a family who will surround him with love.

He doesn't deserve being tied in his crib.

Yep.

He's tied.

Look closely at the picture.

Now maybe they have him tied because he is going through a treatment on his legs and they don't want him moving.  Maybe that sounds like a good excuse. Maybe.

NOT IF HE WAS MY LITTLE GUY!!

Not if I was sitting by his bedside.


Both my boys have surgery in January and I can guarantee you right now that neither of them will be tied down!

No way would I let anyone tie my babe to a crib and keep him there 24/7. He's tied because there isn't anyone who has the time, energy or love to lift that baby boy out of that crib and hold him in their arms. They have him tied because there is no one there to entertain him in his absolute boredom. His caretakers are too busy with all the other children in all the other cribs. Plus, they are responsible to keep the rooms clean - spotlessly clean - and wash clothes and bedding - and feed and change all those babes  - and wash them.  And often there are only two women to care for up to 12 babes.  So, I get why they have him tied. I get it.

I hate it.

I hate it because I know deep in my being that both my boys suffered in much the same way that Ronald is suffering. Hours upon hours stuck inside bars.  Their little feet prevented both of them from walking until surgery gave them hope.  Until then they sat on the sidelines. They sat inside their cribs. They watched through their bars.  Hour after lonely hour.

Oh, Please, someone see Ronald.

He's little.

He has so much potential.

And maybe you are saying no to him... okay. I get that.

There IS only ONE family out there for him.

But you can help me yell for him.

So yell.

How is anyone going to know about him if we don't tell them!!!

RONALD NEEDS A FAMILY!!

You can help me get money in his grant account.  Time and again I have had adoptive families tell me that the money in the account often played a HUGE PART when they were wrestling with the Holy Spirit tapping on their hearts.  Relieving the money-fear is a burden lifter.

So give. Advocate.

AND SOMEONE ADOPT RONALD!!

Words on Paper

I wish with all my heart that I had adopted them when they were itty bitty.

For a million, trillion reasons I wish they had been my babes back when they were teeny tiny babes.

They both came with a list of diagnoses that most definitely would have frightened me silly.

Words on paper tend to scare us.

I know now what I didn't know then.  Those diagnoses are not scary.  They do not have anything to do with the little boy inside the body.

They are just words on a paper that define a tiny part of who they really are.

They are much more than labels.

They are living, breathing little boys with strengths and weaknesses, gifts and abilities, joys and sorrows that enrich us and challenge us daily.

He's just a bitty little thing. 

A teeny tiny little angel.

Ronald.

His list of diagnoses can be scary.

With just two little pictures and that list it is really easy to let fear blind you.

But those words are just a tiny portion of who he is.

And someone out there is one day going to discover that those words hold no fear once they hold him in their arms.

He's my little Angel for the Reece's Rainbow tree this year. They changed the name and it is now the Miracle of Adoption Christmas Campaign. MACC.  I'm a creature of habit and change is hard so please forgive me if I say he is my angel on the angel tree!! 

Isn't he precious??  I get to yell for him for the next 2 months. 

If I could back up time with both my sons and had the opportunity to adopt them when they were this small, I would do EVERYTHING in my power to race as fast as I could to get them. Early intervention is such a gift!

If his diagnoses are correct then he really truly needs a Mama and Papa to fight for him.

But please know that he is much more than a bunch of words on a paper. He's a living breathing, precious little soul who would thrive in a family. 

Oh please, someone see Ronald.

Mama, Where are you???

Please don't be scared by the words on his paper.

-----------------------------------------

Click HERE to help me raise $1,000 for Ronald's MACC grant account! The goal is $1,000.00 in his account.

The real goal... A family!