No News is....

I've been holding my breath for so long waiting for a vote by Ukraine parliament on the proposed adoption legislation that you probably forgot I wasn't breathing! I really only have two official sources for updates regarding a vote on the legislation and I've seen no comments or update since the vote was delayed a few weeks ago unitl the next week. My sources do not mention the fist fight by parliament members the following week or anything else for that matter. Silence. Nothing. Not a word. I don't know what to make of it, but it seems fruitless for me to keep holding my breath. In hind sight, maybe it never was fruitful at all. But it just feels like you gotta do *something*!!

Of course, there is one other area of Ukrainian government concern (argh). The ministry (or division of the government) that oversees adoption has been, well, eliminated. Yup. The responsibility essentially now falls under another ministry. Of course, as of yet, nothing has changed. Except that families do not know when they board airplanes to travel to Ukraine and get out of cars to walk up to the SDA building if their appointments will occur as scheduled. And the employees of the "old" ministry do not know, well, you guessed it, anything.

I'm sure there's some "structure" to all that is going on over there but I can assure you I don't know what it is.

In any case, as 2010 concludes, I praise God for a blessed year. I am truly undeserving...

As 2011 commences, I know two things for sure: we will adopt Nastya and Valeriy this year (God please let the in-country process begin in April and end no later than June - yes, they're arbitrary dates at best, but when you have no say in the timing, you feel compelled to make something up so you have *something* to hang on to!) and I'm going to have to find a source of income. Uh-huh, I quit my job. Generally speaking, It is not advisable to quit one job before you've found another and I totally understand the logic behind thais thinking. But "generalities" aren't really my style (if you've known me for years - or even just a few months, this will not be a news flash!). And while it seems as though I may have rocked the boat or complicated my current situation which is already "out of the ordinary", please trust me on this one. Granted, I'm not thrilled with not having a job (actually, at this point I could care less about not having a job; it's not having an income that concerns me), I have complete peace about leaving my most recent job. I have made the right decision for my family and me.

No doubt 2011 will be the biggest year of my life yet. I pray the same is true for Nastya and Valeriy. I've said it before but it bears repeating, being adopted is bitter sweet for children. And many times the bitter is so strong the sweet cannot be detected. I hear over and over how lucky they are that we are adopting them. I know what you mean and I do agree; they are lucky that we are adopting them. But in the big picture of life, my kids are far from lucky. We can only ask for God's guidance and wisdom as we lead them to healing and happiness. It's a tall order but we are blessed to be sharing the task with other adopting families and our family and friends. Your support means everything! Thank you! And Happy New Year!