13.1 for Africa

Today was the last "training race" before the Chicago Marathon. The Batavia Half Madness 13.1 was held today. My intent was to not go out to hard, but not have an easier race like the CDC a few weeks back. I started off at a torrid pace (at least for me). On a day in which the temperature was getting hotter, with the Lord's Help, I managed a new personal Best. I shaved about 10 seconds of my previous best 1/2 marathon time. I finished in 1:37:26 minutes, at a 7:26 pace (64 overall, 61 amongst males, and 12th in the 35-39 age group)

For a day in which I wanted to push myself, I ended up working a lot harder than I anticipated. It was great to see the family cheering on, out on the course. Thanks guys! that REALLY helped.

I'm thankful today, for being fit enough to compete. I'm thankful for the Lord's blessing to allow me a PR today. I'm thankful for a race close enough to home that I was able to still make 11am Mass with my family. I'm thankful for all the support from family and friends as I continue to train for the 2008 Chicago Marathon. And I thrilled for the support from a couple of runners and the spectators cheering me on in my Team World Vision gear. Its awesome that people recognize World Vision and the help they provide around the world.

Peace to you all. And thanks for your support for me and for Team World Vision.

How do you make decisions?

This morning I had one of those moments. You know the kind, where it seems a lot of completely unrelated things are going on (politics, conventions, work, home life, family). While not feeling lost, nor overwhelmed, but rather a bit curious as to (if you are able to step back to have a look at) how everything fits together. Being Catholic of course, I wonder how God is fitting all these dissimilar things together. If if you are not a believer in a Higher Faith or Power, you certainly would have thoughts about how things "fit together" nonetheless.

I think what triggered my thinking was pondering the obnoxious political rhetoric these days. Who's the better Patriot, Who's got more experience, Who is the better leader, Who's got the better judgment. As I listen to both Obama and McCain (but primarily this years crop of Democrats) I wonder how people live their lives according to one set of rules and one set of values, then attempt to govern and legislate by another. Perhaps there is a way to reconcile the two, but frankly I don't see how. (Example: using yellow balloons as a metaphor for any of the current hot button issue like guns, energy, abortion, etc) If I personally believe that yellow balloons are root of all evil, how can I function as a human being knowing that I governed or supported legislation that increased the desire and accessibility of yellow balloons. Unless these politicians are soul-less, empty husks, eventually governing and legislating in a manner inconsistent with your personal beliefs would have to completely tear and rip you apart on the inside. Is has to right?

Anyway. This morning, the homily at daily mass today really hit home, and then was further crystallized by something I read in our Diocesan newspaper. Its from St. Francis of Assisi.

Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi before the San Damiano Cross

"All-highest, glorious God, cast your light into the darkness of my heart. Give me right faith, firm hope, perfect charity and profound humility, with wisdom and perception, O Lord, so that I may do what is truly your holy will. Amen." ... Saint Francis of Assisi

And to go further with St. Francis of Assisi, an even more applicable prayer (and more well known) is:

Prayer of St. Francis

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace,
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy;

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

Sometimes other people can make things clearer than we can. I found these words in describing St. Francis' prayer above:

Sometimes Christians are called to turn the world upside down. To bring the exact opposite of what we find in our world. St. Francis' prayer is a bold one, asking for strength to give of ourselves to meet the needs of others. He recognises that it "is in giving that we receive", that as we give of ourselves, we receive the peace and blessing of our risen Lord Jesus. We cannot earn eternal life, but that we are pardoned from the sins that block our claim on it.
Think about the situations that you are involved in that require peace, consolation, hope, light and joy. Then, if you're bold enough, pray the prayer!

I know how I make my decisions. How do you make yours?
Peace to you all.

Who's Steering This Boat Anyways?

I think SAHM's (stay at home moms) are incredible for what they do in sacrificing so much of themselves for their kids but I am just not one of them. While I love the time I spend with E1 and E2, I also love the work I do (all be it frustrating at times) as well as the other side commitments I am involved in. I feel like I am presently in a bit of a transition with my side commitments . On one hand, I feel that with several of them, I have done all I can to get them moving, but am just not getting any satisfaction out of the process anymore, on another, I think I lost my motivation years ago which makes me feel like I am not really being effective anymore, which makes me feel like it is time to have someone else take the post. None of these present commitments seem to fit well with the idea of "Sacrifice with Purpose", the title of this blog and actively changing the lives of others. While I have some thoughts and ideas that have been brewing for sometime, mainly relating to how to use my engineering background for "the greater good", I really have no idea how to go about setting forth down this path. I am sure my shyness around new people and lack of confidence as it related to my foreign language skills have held me back in the past, so this time around, I am hoping God will take me by the hand and lead me on the path I am meant to travel.

La Voz del Dia

The most beautiful thing for those who have fought a whole life is to come to the end and say; we believed in people and life, and life and the people never let us down

-Otto Rene Castillo - Poeta Guatemalteco

I was very excited to hear that Maya Essence is now open at 4357 N. Lincoln Ave in Chicago. It is a Fair Trade initiative and will offer fair trade goods for the community to support the work of small producers both global and local. I can't wait to check it out!

E-Squared - Tales from the Backseat

You almost had to be there to fully appreciate this one. As the saying goes "From the mouth of babes..."

On the way up north this past weekend, our discussion briefly turned to a concept idea raised by a family member. The idea was that the Catholic Church should be more relaxed, and if they were, perhaps they would not be losing parishioners left and right, and would be growing. Our discussion went into a hypothetical view on how such an approach would go do. As if the church might just one day say... "Ok we're wrong on the abortion thing. After all, Its not murder, its just killing unborn babies".

It was at this point our conversation was stopped cold. From the back seat, from E1 came

That's not right. No kill baby

As Ripley said, "Believe it or Not!"

Peace

By the way, the Catholic church is not losing people left and right, they are in fact growing according to recent numbers.

A quote for the day

"On the outskirts of every agony sits some observant fellow who points" - Virginia Woolf. This quote really struck a chord with me a few weeks back. It really speaks to so much in todays society. It has become so easy and almost second nature to tear people and other's actions down, but to do so from the sidelines. Do you just want to be a critical observer or are you willing to jump in the ring and roll up your sleeves and be part of the solution? I think we all would benifit from asking this of ourselves more often.

We visited the town where E2 was born and met some amazing people that are truly doing God's work counciling physically and sexually abused children as well as caring for children without a home. We made a promise that day to the director that we would help to raise money for some equipment they needed as it is very difficult for them to do this on their own. It has been nagging at my heart for awhile that we made this promise and now, home almost 3 months, I had done nothing but sit on the sidelines. Over the last few days, I started talking with our agency about the idea and I am very happy to report that today, through our adoption agency, a means to support the wonderful work that this group is doing is now available!

If you are interest in helping to support them, you can go to www.adoptionadvocates.org and click on the Donate Now button. Under the comments section, please state "Donation to be used for Forum on Street Children -Dire Dawa"

Time for Work

I got to work with 5 min's to spare this morning! Put my lunch away and grabbed my chai and sat down all ready to dive right in. As I reached for my mug, I caught a glimpse of it, on my shoulder, clear as day on my navy shirt, yes, it is, buggers. Thanks E2. I guess he wanted to leave a little reminder of himself with me today. I'm off to the bathroom needless to say.

God's Presence in Our Life

After confession this past Saturday, I have been praying for God’s grace to express my thoughts and feelings in a more positive and productive manner. Specifically, I hope that through these graces, the light of God will shine more clearly through me as it does in so many of the people we know.

I feel I am certainly an example of the highs and lows of the Lord’s attempts to do his work through me. One week I am completely free, trusting in Him and following the path He has set forth for me and the next week I am resisting, diverging and taking every detour along the way. I am certainly fortunate, along this journey, to have people who are a constant reminder of the amazing things that can be accomplished through His work. Though I am sure they have their own moments of questioning and divergence from the path, the light of the Lord shines brightly through them.

I am not sure how many of you know the story of E1’s referral, but the hand of God was truly at work when there was a question as to whether the path of adoption was the path that the Lord chose for us. When I prayed to God that I would see his name in church the following morning, I thought it all but impossible given that his name is not a biblical name. To our amazement, his name appeared behind the alter on one of the banners put together by the children that were to receive their First Communion. Later that night, it also appeared on a street sign and at a Mercy Me concert. After a few experiences like that, I sort of felt like yelling from the roof top “I’m I the only one seeing these things?”, meaning actually SEEING the hand of God working in your life. Frankly, at the time, I had never heard another friend or family member relay to me a story that was so demonstrative of the work of God in their lives.

Since that time, the Lord as brought an amazing number of people into our lives and also opened our eyes to friends we have know for years whose lives are transformed by the hand of God. I know several of these people read this blog, and it just want to express to them how much their faith and stories of how God working in their lives has strengthened my relationship with God. To the Marriage Encounter Couples, you have shown us the power of God in a marriage and demonstrated the strength of the sacrament when God is at the center. To E2’s godfather and family, most of your life journeys are relayed to me through hubby, but their impact is just the same. Your faith has lead you to incredible places and I see the hand of God each and every step of the way. You are a shining example to us of God’s love. To E1’s Godmother, our prayers are with you in discerning your calling. God Bless You All and Thank you for being a continuous source of God’s Amazing Love in our Lives!

Lonesome George Gets some action!

Last year, on our trip to the Galapagos, hubby and E1 met Lonesome George at the Darwin Research Center. George is the last remaining Pinta Island tortoise. Scientists have been in an quandry as to how to carry on the Pinta tortise species. George has now successfully breed with 2 female tortoises with similar genetic makeup to the Pinta Island species. Here is the rest of the article:

"On July 21, 2008 , Park rangers found a nest in George’s corral with nine eggs—three of which were intact, two of which had tiny cracks, and four of which were broken entirely. Eight more eggs were found in a new nest this morning—all eight eggs were in good condition. The Park staff has taken all thirteen eggs and placed them in incubators at the Charles Darwin Research Station. Eight eggs are set at an incubation temperature of 29.5 °C and five are at 28 °C.
In certain species of reptiles (including Galapagos tortoises), there are no chromosomes which determine gender. Gender is determined by the temperature at which the eggs are incubated. The higher temperatures produce females and the lower temperatures produce males. After many years of experimentation during the 1980s at the Research Station, staff discovered the temperature range at which the eggs would produce males and females. In this particular case, given the number of possibly viable eggs, the decision was made to put more eggs at the higher incubation temperature (female). In a population restoration effort, which this certainly is, it is more important to have more females than males.
There are now a total of 13 eggs in the incubators-5 from the first tortoise and 8 laid by the second. It will be another 120-130 days before the incubation process is completed and before it is known if the eggs are viable. "

Lonesome George is lonesome no more!

Ethiopian Cultural Camp

Wow, what an incredible, exhausting weekend on Lake Geneva for our first Ethiopian Cultural camp. We are still trying to recover and have all come down with colds (yes, I know, in the middle of summer!). The weekend was fantastic and filled with lots of great activities, cooking classes, kids games, a wonderful dinner, music and swimming. It was great to meet so many other families and one special family that took pictures of E2 for us while he was still in Ethiopia. I really makes me want to find a Guatemalan cultural camp for E1 to see what that is like.

The exhausting part revolved mainly around camping with a 3 year old and a baby that likes to move around and put everything in his mouth. Frankly, that part was utterly exhausting with E2 wanting to check things out but trying to keep him confined to the blanket we had put down for him to play on. Luckily, he was a big hit and met probably more of the families than we did which gave us a much needed break from holding him. E1 had challenges of his own, we were so far away from the bathroom that many times by the time he said he had to go, there was no chance of making it there in time. I think we double our "accident" count in one weekend. In hindsight, we should have brought his potty so he could have used it in an "emergency". Luckily, no more camping trips planned until next year when E2 will be walking!

On Sunday morning, we gave our fancy-dancy presentation about our cultural tour to the north in Ethiopia to an audience of about 35 people. It was quite nerve racking giving the presentation in front of Ethiopians. It would have been a bit different if our audience was just adoptive families. I just hope we didn't mess up any of the historic or cultural information too bad. In addition, to add to the complexity, T and I gave the presentation together. As we have never done a power point as a team, that added another challenge to the mix. We received many heartfelt comments afterwards, so I am hoping it came across well on all fronts.

E-Squared - Tales from the Backseat

Another edition (somewhat belated, but worth the wait) of..

Tales from the Backseat

E1 - “E2 is cute”
Mom - “Yes he is very cute”
E1 - “Do you like him?”
Mom - “I love him!!!, do you love him”
E1 - “I love him too, and da da and ma ma and baby e2 and e1”
Mom - “Are you guys holding hands back there”
E1 - “Yep”
Mom - “That’s nice”

Tonight on Animal Plant.....

Birds of Prey

This special documentary follows one family living in surburbia who has a new set of neighbors, four very large and very loud hawks. Follow along with the family as they experience the hawks bathing in their pond, froliking from tree to tree and their near misses with the families windows. But that's not all folks, be sure not to miss the group hunts that target all the furry little creatures in the yard and watch as they tear their prey limb from limb as tufts of fur and body parts fall out of the trees. Keep the baby and small pets inside and watch where you step, nothing says family fun like seeing a baby bunny's head being ripped off.

This program not suitable for young children

Oh Guatemala, Que Paso?

It really pains me to write this, but frankly, my frustration level is at an all time high. As some of you know, Guatemala, amid pressures from the US and UNICEF adopted the Hague in 2007. The previous international adoption system was controlled by attorneys and foster care. With the Hague, Guatemala will be turning the system over to a government run system that will take the control out of the hands of the attorneys. The system is presently in limbo with a standstill in some of the existing adoptions being processed as well as the halt of any new adoptions. Without the money coming in from adoptions, many of the orphanages can no longer care for the children. The workers are not showing up for work as they are no longer being paid and there is no food so the children are being turned out onto the street. It is a horrible situation, and unfortunately, it is the children that are the ones suffering.

When we started our adoption in 2005 of our first son, we were really adoption "virgins". In hindsight, though we have a beautiful son, it is hard knowing that we contributed to lining the pockets of these attorneys and that none of the money that was paid to process the adoption of our son went back into the child care facilities in Guatemala.

Last week we received a letter from our agency asking for emergency donations to support an orphanage. Their goal is to raise $100,000. This would pay for staff, food, medical, clothing, etc. Again, I recognize that we were part of the problem, and not the solution, but DARN IT! You never did ANYTHING in all the years you have processed adoptions through Guatemala to help these orphanages! You never did any humanitarian work in Guatemala to help reduce the number of children that were being relinquisted. You were happy enough to have an in country coordinator who didn't know a lick about Guatemalan culture held up in the Marriott and were happy as a clam to keep the baby train heading due north! And now you are asking US to send you money? Frankly, I would rather support 10 more children through World Vision in Guatemala than do that.

I will always remember what the Wide Horizon's of Children representative said at one of their presentation (we have never used them as an agency, just so I can be clear on that, but would do so in a heart beat). She said "Our main goal is to reduce the number of children needing adoptive families by finding ways they can stay with their biological family", she noted that it seems like a strange statement as in the business world, they would be basically putting themselves out of business. But I think that statement speaks to my point, adoption is not a business, it is about the children and identifying why these children can't stay with their biological families then using the resources adoption provides to improve the families and communities so more kids can be supported by their biological parents. Throwing money at an orphanage is truly a short term fix. What are WE all doing for the long term?