I am re-posting this from the Reece’s Rainbow blog because it moved me to tears. It is very, very sad. I don’t write this to depress you, I write it to inspire you, to open your eyes. I read today on a very inspiring adoption blog, “once our eyes are opened, we can’t pretend we don’t know what to do.”
Be prepared. Once you read this blog, you can’t turn back. But the miracle in it all is that we are not helpless. We are not HOPEless. We “dwell in hope” that one by one, these babies will find their forever family, and we do what we can to help them along the way. E.L.E.
December 8, 2010
Why do we scream and yell and holler for the children listed on Reece’s Rainbow? Why do we raise money for them, lose sleep over them and sacrifice every waking hour advocating for them? Why we do work so hard to get them adopted from the baby houses before they reach the age of transfer? Why do we grieve and mourn when they are transferred to the special needs mental institutes in Eastern Europe?
Read on. This is ONE of the reasons why. There are HUNDREDS more.
We live a harried life. Running here, there and everywhere. We work, take our kids to this activity, then that activity, rush to meetings, juggle schedules and cook, clean and work side-jobs in our spare time. We rarely have time to do Nothing.
We love doing Nothing. A day where we have no appointments, no meetings and no places where our children have to be. An evening where we can stay at home, curl up as a family with a bowl of popcorn and watch a movie. An afternoon where we can take a walk or play in the yard. Nothing. Nothing so that we can do what we find pleasurable. Reading a book, building a puzzle, playing a game. Nothing has warm connotations, happy thoughts. Nothing is what we live for as a family.
For us, in America, Nothing means Everything.
For the Lost Boys and Girls across Eastern Europe, for the ones who have been transferred – Nothing means NOTHING.
This is what NOTHING looks like for many of the Lost Boys and Lost Girls in Eastern Europe. Those who are transferred to the institutes. Those who can walk. Those who are mobile. This is Nothing. This is what one family witnessed just a few months ago on their journey to their son. This is one institute out of many.
On warm days, 20 plus boys will be led to this shed. 20 plus boys will go inside this shed. A bench will be placed across the door so that they will not be allowed to leave. Then, those 20 plus boys will do nothing. They will sit inside that shed. They will sit. They will rock. They will cry out. They will moan. They will stare at the walls. They will hit each other. They will hit themselves. They will sit. They will sit. They will wait. After hours of sitting they will get to leave for another shed, to eat. They will be forced to eat quickly so that they can be led back to this shed. To do Nothing. In the afternoon they will be led to their rooms. They will be made to lay down on their beds. For hours they will lay on those beds. Some will sleep to escape. Others will lay and do Nothing. Staring at the walls, ceiling – staring at Nothing. When it is time to get up, they will go back to their shed. Again, to do Nothing.
On rainy days, or cold days, they will stay in their buildings. They will not leave those buildings. They will not venture downstairs or get to visit the other boys in the other buildings or even in the other part of their building. No. They will stay in their section. They will sit in the sitting room. It is as empty as the shed. Benches and carpets. They will sit. They will sit and they will do Nothing. They will rock. They will moan. They will hit each other. They will hit themselves. They will sit. They will wait. They will stare at the four walls. They will do Nothing.
Once in a while, on weekends, they will get to hear music. The bigger boys will get to do jobs. Some jobs that are heart-breaking. The best behaved boys will get to kick a deflated ball sometimes. Sometimes a stick can be found for drawing in the dirt. Sometimes they will even let a child or two play in the sand pile that is often used as a toilet. Sometimes. On really rare days, when visitors come, they may even get out a hidden toy or two. Rarely. Most of the time, they do Nothing.
Nothing for the Lost Boys and Girls in Eastern Europe means Nothing.
Two worlds. Our Nothing. Their Nothing. Can we just sit by and do Nothing?
Help us rescue the little ones who are still at the Baby Houses – donate to the Angel Tree. Give a gift that means EVERYTHING to the “Least of These.” Every child rescued out of the Baby House is one less child who has to sit and do Nothing. Please.
The above link will now take you to the Angel Tree results, which are astounding. There is HOPE. And so we pass it on, and pray that with our collective HOPE and prayers, good things will come. Just look at all of the beautiful babies that have already found their forever families and your heart will be warmed.
Don’t forget to leave a comment on yesterday’s post if you have donated to Clara or Sophie this week and you will be entered to win this beautiful reminder to DWELL IN HOPE from Laurel Denise.
