Today Is A Momentous Day

This morning, as I was swimming, a little voice told me to start. I tried to push it away, but it just got louder, start and trust is what it said.

Later today I got an email from a woman who told me while she was battling major illness she would read my other blog and it just made her believe in good. She said some all together very kind things and thanked me for living as I do, going without stuff people think of as needs, to give instead. She told me she had a "feeling" that there was something big in my life, she wasn't sure if it was adoption or my moving to Uganda (not sure why Uganda! LOL) but she wanted to send me about $700 Canadian to help change a life. Now I have to tell you, this woman isn't a blog friend, doesn't have a blog, she simply read my words for 2 years, emailed once and then emailed me again after all of this time, today...yet this very sick woman, who doesn't know me, brings me $700 closer to the goal! I emailed back and said she didn't need to do this, I emailed twice giving her the chance to back out with no hard feelings, no sadness, just joy in how much her words helped me today to keep going, living this all together very different life. And she was resolute, she was estatic to hear that I actually was trying to begin the adoption process of a very special needs child - And now I'm $700 closer.

So I did it - two huge signs saying START and TRUST; I called my agency and adoption social worker.

My adoption social worker is the cream de la cream. She is, in fact, very far away (but in country), but because this is an ultra sticky situation with no definite yes at the end of it (if that happens I'll appeal, then appeal again (unless of course the reason it is over is the baby has died - a possibility I have to prepare for and do think about whenever I look at her picture) and then if not I'll put my papers into another country for an adoption of siblings who are HIV+ and find a way to support this baby from afar) and I need the top of the top to walk this road with me and come up with plan B, C & D. I can do 3/4 visits pre having a job and we've tentatively booked the last visit for the end of October. This means I have 2 months to find a job and have started in my new position, otherwise the last visit will need to be delayed another month. The first two visits I will drive a long drive to her house, the last two she will come to me. Eight hours minimum will separate us. But she agreed this is such a tricky situation with a real child stuck in limbo and rejected and sick, and she confirmed I do need someone who has delt with very tricky very "in need of privacy" adoption situations before and so she is my best hope. While she's never encountered this specific situation, she has experience walking these long, tough roads that 99.9999999% of adopters deem to risky (and they are right, it is very risky! No judgement there!). After we were done she gave me some good tips on how to negotiate with the agency because there are aspects of what they will provide which I won't need in this particular child's situation. Already BTDT so to speak, so in her opinion it isn't like this adoption is starting from scratch! (Yes I know I'm being vague, but I have to respect other's privacy!)

And then today my friend Hayley agreed to raffle dresses for me. The third sign.

And so today, Friday August 20th, begins my quest to adopt a very special child, who in less than a year has faced rejection of epic proportions. And I hope it makes, what I think will be her 10th move in less than a year, her final one. And together we can take on the world...

I'd also like to record that when I am done, I am going to begin some sort of a grant based NGO for families here who want to adopt children internationally who have more significant (chronic/life long) special needs. While there is support, including financial, if you adopt a very special needs child through foster care, no such program exists in the whole country for international programs (can you imagine!) and actually our adoption rate of children with special needs is exceptionally low as a nation. I am just one pretty inadequate person but I hope that somehow I can help others see that they can do this and financially support people willing to see the real joy these children bring and walk a potentially more unsteady path. They choose to walk the path, but I'd like to give them the helmet to walk with - because honestly we all need someone willing to provide us with a helmet! I sure know that I do...

$700 raised - $34,300 to go!

I think I'm going to view this as needing 70 helmets (each helmet is $500). So far I have 1.5 helmets - NOT BAD :)