Angels of Healing

 Christian Bale, star of the Batman films, met at the Medical Center of Aurora on Tuesday afternoon with seven patients injured in the mass shooting that occurred during a midnight showing of his new film.  The Medical Center of Aurora received 18 patients from the movie theatre shooting and seven were admitted. Four patients went to Swedish Medical Center.  Officials from Warner Brothers Pictures, which released Bale's most recent film, said Bale came to Aurora on his own. "Mr. Bale is there as himself, not representing Warner Brothers," said an assistant for Susan Fleishman, executive vice president for Warner Brothers corporate communications.

The Angel at the Theatre Vigil for the Victims of the midnight shooting--Totally overwhelming. 

Fairy Tale

The Royal Kiss. 

Nearly 23 million Americans rose early on Friday 04/29/11 to watch...
Prince William and Kate Middleton tie the knot.

on the Wings of a Blessing--

The man whispered, "God, speak to me" and a Chickadee sang. But, the man did not hear. So the man yelled "God, speak to me!" And, the thunder rolled across the sky. But, the man did not listen. The man looked around and said, "God let me see you." And a star shined brightly. But the man did not notice. And, the man shouted, "God show me a miracle!" And, a life was born. But, the man did not know. So, the man cried out in despair, "Touch me God, and let me know you are here! "Where upon, God reached down and touched the man. But, the man brushed the wings of the butterfly away and walked on.

Don't miss out on a blessing because it isn't packaged the way that you expect.

Hello!

This made me smile, awhh Precious.

Congratulations on your beautiful family Celine.

Angels in us all--

The child and the man; the innocent and the one held guilty; the joy of new life, the agony of life’s pain and suffering; this disparate experiences meet in the one human person of Jesus. Life’s dark side and life’s bliss, Jesus embraces them both, and is there for us in both.
The coming days are undoubtedly a time of celebration, of pleasure, of laughter and love and the affirmation of life in the darkest days of the year. It is also, at the same time, an occasion of sadness and loneliness – a time when ill-health or financial difficulty seems all the worse, a time especially when a loss of a loved one seems all the harder to bear.
The child of Bethlehem, the man on the Cross, Jesus – he embraces the whole of our human experiences – God with us, not just for good times, but for all times. This is the message of the angels – God with us, in times of darkness and cold, sorrow and uncertainty; God with us in the sunshine of contentment and satisfaction. The good news is God is with us, God with us to strengthen, uphold, and renew.

From Three Poems of Incarnation – Kathleen Raine

Who stands at my door in the storm and rain

On the threshold of being?

One who waits till you call him in

From the empty night
Are you a stranger, out in the storm,

Or has my enemy found me out

On the edge of being?
I am no stranger who stands at the door

Nor enemy come in the secret night,

I am your child, in darkness and fear

On the verge of being.
Go back, my child, to the rain and storm,

For in this house there is sorrow and pain

In the lonely night.
I will not go back for sorrow or pain,

For my true love weeps within

And waits for my coming.
Go back, my babe, to the vacant night

For in this house dwell sin and hate

On the verge of being.
I will not go back for hate or sin,

I will not go back for sorrow or pain,

For my true love mourns within

On the threshold of night.

~

Reach out during this 'holy-day' season; to those whom might need comfort, clothes, food, shelter, money, healing, or an encouragement to go on --the holidays are upon us, and tough for some and less bearable by others-- reach out with your fortune of heart to help thy with less...

All about Him

When it's all about Him and not about me- I can live on little and give much.
When it's all about Him and not about me- I can adopt many and love more.
When it's all about Him and not about me- I can care less about pleasing others and care much about pleasing Him.
When it's all about Him and not about me- I can love without expecting to be loved back.
When it's all about Him and not about me- I can open my home and my heart regardless of our differences.
When it's all about Him and not about me- I can let go of my plans- knowing His are always better.
When it's all about Him and not about me- I care less about how my hair looks and care lots about how my heart looks.
When it's all about Him and not about me- I can have peace during the unknowns- trusting He does know.
When it's all about Him and not about me- I worry less about the risk and more about just surrendering.
When it's all about Him and not about me- I allow myself to be vulnerable, knowing my experiences can help someone else.
When it's all about Him and not about me- I can be content in my circumstances knowing He allowed them to be.
When it's all about Him and not about me- I can be assured success- regardless of the outcome.

He must become greater; I must become less. John 3:30
Originally Posted by Amy @ Be The Change! On Sept.16,2010

Weak Love...

This is one of my favorite posts on the "hard" transition of adoption. Oh, you didn't know adoption was hard? Well it is (I know we make it look easy, but that is God's Hand). It is also a beautiful blessing; so don't let the hard stuff scare or scar you.

Why Can’t I love My Adopted Child?
Originally Posted by Storing Up Treasures

Courtesy Courtney Mom to 9!

Monday, April 19, 2010
This post is going to be a doozy. I have written it and rewritten it, again and again. Because I know what I want to say. But, I don't know how to put it altogether and have it come across in the way I intend. Part of that is that I want people to adopt. I don't want fear to stop them from doing it and I certainly don't want what I write to inhibit people from moving forward.
So, if you haven't adopted yet, you may just want to stop reading. Or if you have adopted, but your adoption has been bliss and your child has never had any issues, you may as well stop right here. Because you aren't going to get this. And you can't get it, unless you are living it.
If you have adopted a child that has attachment issues then continue on........ At one time or another every parent of a traumatized kid has asked themselves the same question.
Why can't I love my adopted child? If you tell me you haven't said it out loud or at least thought it, then either ....
A. You don't have a kid with attachment issues and your kid is just one of those kids that came out of trauma unscathed. (which like never happens)
B. You are lying.
C. You are in denial.
If we are being honest, all of us parenting these kids have asked ourselves this question.
And since we are being honest, I am struggling hardcore right now with loving one of my kids. I don't think I need to say who it is. The truth is, I have struggled at some point or another to love all three of my adopted children.
I have read all of the books. I have talked to many adoptive parents. Have done all kinds of therapy. I have prayed until I had no breath left to pray. And one day it all hit me like a ton of bricks.
You can't love behaviors.
Did you get that?
You can love people. But, you can't love behaviors. It is impossible. Trust me. I have tried.
And what has become clear as day to me is that the child I am struggling with at the moment, isn't acting or being the child God created him to be. Right now, due to all he has endured in his little life, he is just a lump of behaviors.
Can you love a lump of behaviors?
NOPE.
So, first of all, stop beating yourself up. Stop feeling guilty. And stop trying.
YUP. Stop trying.
No one can love behaviors. We can love people. We can love the person under all of the behaviors. But, we can't love the behaviors. And right now, you aren't seeing the person under the behaviors. In fact, you are so in the thick of it, that all your child is - is his or her behaviors.
Sure underneath that - way down deep - buried - where no one can see and no one has dared to go - is your child. The real, wonderful, amazing little person just waiting for someone bold enough, courageous enough to find them.
I mean think about it. If the very first time you met your spouse, he spit food in your face, screamed and yelled at the top of his lungs, manipulated you, fabricated tall tales, peed his pants, stole your wallet, and then professed his love to some other woman right in front of you.... would you have fallen in love with him? Would you want to take him home to meet your parents? Would you even be attracted to him? Or would you have run the heck out of there as fast as you could?
I know adopting a child is nothing like dating your spouse. But, as humans, we tend to fall in love with the good in a person. And even though our spouses are flawed, we see past the flaws to the heart and that is the part we love.
So, what happens when you adopt an adorable little one and get them home and they are raging lunatics and you can hardly see one good quality about them? I will tell you what happens. You will find it very hard to fall in love. And if you are staring at your kid right now nodding your head yes, then you are not staring at your child. You are staring at a big 'ol lump of behaviors.
What do we do?
Do we give up? Do we cry? Do we wish we could take it all back and send this kid somewhere else?
Maybe.
And if that is where you are at right now, please don't feel bad about it. I have so been there. It is normal to feel that way. You are not alone. You are not some horrible, awful person. You are human.
The good news is.......
God knows who your little person is under all of those behaviors. He loves your little person more than there are words to express. He sees through the layers and layers of mess, right to the heart of who your child really is, and He loves him. He loves him, even when you can't.
Why is this good news? Because you are off the hook. You don't have to keep feeling guilty. You can just let God do all of the loving and give your little one over to Him. He is the perfect parent. You are just the vessel He wants to use to let that love be known.
Your child is waiting for someone to come along who will be bold enough to wait. Your child may not know this, but in the very deepest part of every human is the desire to love and be loved. Somewhere way, way, way down deep, there is a little soul crying out for love. But, he is so afraid. So very afraid of that love that he will stop at nothing to prevent you from seeing it.
And so, what you get is a lump of very frustrating, extremely mind boggling, over-the-top-makes-you-think-you-are-going-insane behaviors.
Up until now, no one stuck around long enough for your child to heal. No one was there to help this child uncover what is lurking beneath. No one cared enough to try. Except for you. And if you are willing to commit yourself for the long haul, then you will have the privilege of one day seeing the beauty that has been hiding under all of the pain. If you are bold enough to wait it out, strong enough to let God do the loving, and committed enough to hang on, your child will emerge.
How do I know this? Because Mikie and Galya were once lumps of behaviors. It took three years. Three long years of some pretty yucky stuff. Some pretty lonely times. Some really gut wrenching feelings before we started to see them emerge. And I can tell you without a doubt that it was worth every second of struggle to get to where we are right now.
They are beautiful. They are smart. And they are completely capable of giving and receiving love.
Trust me when I tell you, they are easy for me to love. It isn't work. It isn't forced. It is natural, attached, healthy love between parent and child.
A very wise friend said to me today as I vented my frustration with one of my kids- "My weak love is better than no love at all." How true is that? So maybe you are really struggling to love this crazy lump of behaviors sitting next to you today. Maybe you feel totally inadequate at this moment. It's okay.
My advice to you is this..... Stop trying. Give your little lump to God. Let God's perfect love pierce through the layers of behaviors. Rest in knowing that you don't have to do anything, but allow God to do His work.
Persevere.
Be bold enough to say you are not going to quit until your child is ready to let you in. Be strong enough and committed enough to lay your feelings aside and saddle up for the bumpiest ride of your life.
Then turn to your child and tell them "I am not going anywhere. I am here for the long haul. For as long as it takes I will wait. I will be here. I won't leave. I won't abandon you. No matter how bad things get, no matter what you do next, I am here. And when you are ready to let me love you, I will be here waiting."

This Post Courtesy of Courtney, and Re-Posted by Courtney Mom to 9 Blessings! at http://adoptforeverstories.blogspot.com/

....and it said "I love you mom", scribed on a post it note...(a message from one of my recovered lump of behaviors)

Cherish the moments

Julie Parr **

Originally posted here: October 22, 2009

Life Everlasting

Eternal Life: Kira is Our Glory of an Angel.

Glowing for Eternity in Our Heart, Mind, Soul, Spirit and Our Heaven.
Saving us from ourselves; and leading us towards Family and Faith.
~
**Update 06.05. 2010 This Necklace I bought to honor our daughter Kira, Henan Kids, Adoption, my Children, Family Forever, and Eternal Life ...is of even more meaning;
It is a legacy to give, help and be a voice for orphans, children and families.
~
Julie Parr the artist and mother of her own adoptive Chinese Princess, is now in the arms of our Heavenly Father.
Rest in Peace Julie as you have touched many lives positively.
~
A message below Posted in the HENAN KIDS INTERNATIONAL NEWSLETTER
http://www.henankids.org/
In Memory of...
As many of you know, Julie Parr, who made the calligraphy necklaces for HKI and several other foundations, passed away suddenly in March 2010.
~
Here is an email from the Fuling Kids International director (Julie was on their board) about what we can do to honor her memory and love for orphans:
"We've been giving this some thought and we want to honor Julie through our Foster Care program. She was passionate about the foster care program and providing therapy to the kids so they could reach their full potential. If families would like to honor Julie through a small donation to foster care that would be great. If they want to write a message to Julie's family (either via e-mail or snail mail) I will compile all the messages and then pass them on to the family.
I think they will appreciate knowing how Julie touched the lives of others that they never even knew about."
send a letter of condolence and/or a donation check to:
Fuling Kids International
c/o 6110 Kestrel Park Drive Lithia, FL 33547
(put "foster care to honor Julie Parr" in the memo section)
Messages can be sent to, jenoys@fulingkids.org or a note with a check or any combination that they wish - we'll figure it out :-)

This made my day!

Awwhh, she is a beautiful women inside and out, & he is just an adorable, gorgeous little bitty love chunk of a baby boy. How awesome!

Congratulations Sandra.

Cancer is REAL; "HELP ME LIVE"!

What People Are Saying About Help Me Live...

"If you or a loved one is struggling with cancer, don't be without Hope."David Spiegel, MD, director of the Stanford University Center on Stress and Health, author of Everyone's Guide to Cancer Survivorship "A superb book.

~

Patients with cancer often say to me, 'It's bad enough to have cancer, but would you BELIEVE what someone said to me the other day?' Those expressions are often not easily forgotten, when they caused either pain or joy. I really like Lori's use of these common expressions as the base for suggesting good etiquette and kind manners in talking to someone who has a serious illness."-Jimmie Holland, MD, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, author of The Human Side of Cancer.

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"With grace and good humor, Hope tells us what we all should know about facing this life-altering disease. Extraordinarily moving and helpful, this book is essential reading for cancer patients as well as their families and friends."-Marc Silver, author of Breast Cancer Husband and former U.S. News & World Report editor.

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"Lori Hope's masterful storytelling and clear explanations are invaluable for cancer survivors, helping you understand (and forgive) others' hurtful words and actions, and encouraging you to direct family and friends to responses that help. This book is a gift for caregivers and everyone who knows someone who is going through illness, helping you understand what helps or hurts (and why), but most important of all, showing you how to listen and care in healing ways."-Wendy S. Harpham, MD, author of Happiness in a Storm and Diagnosis: Cancer.

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"As an oncology nurse with over 14 years experience I have learned many "truths" by listening to my clients. When I read Lori's book I found myself nodding my head in recognition of many of these truths. She writes exquisitely of the emotions and the roller coaster ride of a cancer diagnosis and treatment. As a nurse educator I plan to share this book with my students to try and give them some insight into the common experiences that many cancer patients have, as well as the uncommon ones. Thank you, Lori, for creating such a powerful tool for learning."-Patricia Reilly, California State University School of Nursing.

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"Even though I am a 20-year survivor, I needed to be reminded about what people in the throes of cancer need, and Lori Hope's book is perfect."-Kathy La Tour, Cure Magazine Editor-at-Larg.

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"If the family and/or friends, co-workers, and/or employers of a one of my fellow cancer survivors may well be simpering,...while speaking to me thus, 'I would visit him or her with cancer, but I just cannot and I simply will not because I just do not know what to say,' then I would simply, privately, and quietly recommend that they read this text!"- Josh Grossman, M.D., FACP, Colonel (r), U.S. Army Medical Corps.

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"Filled with warmth, humor, compassion and love, Lori Hope guides us through her own experience with cancer and those of the individuals she interviewed. The advice, comments and suggestions contained within Help Me Live are meaningful and valuable to cancer patients, their families, friends, caregivers, physicians, and therapists as well as any compassionate individual living in a society with other human beings. Lori's hopeful and melodic voice sings throughout."-Jo Ellen Lezotte, The Cancer League, Inc. Past President.

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"As a two-time survivor of breast cancer and a journalist, I found Help Me Live to be informative, touching, and even funny and when it comes to cancer, you need a sense of humor. The author also certainly lives up to her name: Her own personal story of cancer and the stories of others give you hope. The book provides a valuable service of what you should and shouldn't say to cancer patients."-Laura Marquez, ABC News correspondent.

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"Help Me Live is realistic but upbeat. Drawing on her experience, those of many others with cancer, and that of a number of leading health professionals, Lori provides sensible and sensitive guidelines for helping those with cancer and their families to live better. If you or a loved one is struggling with cancer, don't be without Hope."-David Spiegel, MD, Stanford University, author of Living Beyond Limits.

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"If I could have given copies of the book to my friends and family, it would have saved me countless tense and unhappy moments."-Karin Roosa, breast cancer survivor.

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"Every family touched by cancer should read this book. Too often, people who have cancer are seen more as bearers of the disease than as who they actually are. That can leave them feeling isolated, hurt, and angry. Lori Hope's Help Me Live, addresses this phenomenon with suggestions that are wise, clear, effective, and compassionate to all concerned."-Jeff Kane, MD, Sierra Nevada Cancer Center, author of How to Heal: A Guide for Caregivers.

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"Help Me Live is a deeply moving exploration of the complex range of emotions that arise in the face of illness. Both patients and caregivers can enter into their roles with greater acceptance and love from reading the experiences and interviews by Lori Hope. Lori's lists of ways to act, words to say give us the confidence to enter these sensitive arenas of vulnerability and fear with greater knowledge, consciousness and confidence."-Susan Halpern, MSW, author of The Etiquette of Illness.

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"When people we love have cancer, we want to help them, but may not know how. Help Me Live puts you in direct contact with the true experts people who have been through it and offers you the opportunity to learn to support a cancer patient with compassion and intelligence. An insightful and very useful book."-Martin L. Rossman, MD, author of Fighting Cancer from Within.

~
""Everytime we read a book about cancer," said Margo Rivera-Weiss, librarian and art gallery curator of the [Women's Cancer] resource center, "it gets into 'what is this treatment, what is that treatment' (Those books) don't get into how to be there for your friend, how to be there for my wife. Lori has written that book."-San Francisco Chronicle"I really enjoyed your words. Nine months ago I was diagnosed with what appeared to be a cancerous tumor on the pancreas. I went throught a very scary time and really thought I was going to die based on what my doctor had told me. Fortunately the tumor [was] benign. I thought I was going to die when in battle in Vietnam and it was not as bad as this situation. Anyway, I want to thank you for your inspiring words."-D.R.
Photo by Laura Turbow -->© 2010 Lori Hope

Storing Up Treasures

Love is an action word.

Love doesn't sit idle.

Love doesn't wait until there is enough money.

Or until all it's ducks are in a row.

Love doesn't worry about reputations.

Love doesn't weigh the cost or avoid sacrifice.

Love doesn't hunker down on the couch with remote in hand, feeling sorry for what it has just witnessed, but never doing anything about it or out of it.

Love doesn't shrug it's shoulders and let someone else do the work.

Love doesn't turn a blind eye because the problems are too deep and too wide to ever make a difference.

Love doesn't say "I am not called".

Love is an action word.

Originally Posted by Courtney on Jan. 24, 2010
Please read her entire post; Courtesy of her public blog at:
http://www.storinguptreasures.com/2010/01/love-is-action-word.html http://www.storinguptreasures.com/

Life Everlasting

Eternal Life: Kira is Our Glory of an Angel.

Glowing for Eternity in Our Heart, Mind, Soul, Spirit and Our Heaven.

Saving us from ourselves; and leading us towards Family and Faith.

The family Kira brought us.

This is the story of our family: Our son born to us, almost 10 years ago, and Our daughter who was born to us~ as she rests in heaven before us. They have both blessed our lives and souls as their humbled parents. We now continue our journey to family forever, to adopt our 3 beloved children. Our daughter is from Guangdong, China ~ 2008 and we are returning to adopt Our oldest son and Our oldest daughter from Henan, China ~ 2009. As we enjoy parenthood we continue to rejoice in the trials, triumphs, blessings, and God's plan, that led us halfway around the world to add to our cherished family. This is our family we share with you, as friends and family alike.

Quote

As I think of Kira each day, a quote came to me through an email from a working partner of our adoption process of our second son's approval verification.

"Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet Is fighting some kind of battle." author unknown

The tag line in her e-mail signature, really talked to me. When Kira was sick, so many families and individuals reached out to us. Some families felt the desire to help, talk, pray, heal, hold or just listen... because they too were "fighting a battle". Some had family members; their own sons, daughters, nieces, nephews, grandchildren, spouses, parents, siblings, or even just a close friend whom had lost their battles to cancer, some still were fighting the battles. Others lost their children, or loved one(s) to something other than cancer, & beyond the comprehension of why and our humble mortal control. And the battle continues... It (the battle) may look different after the loss of the loved one. It manifests into coping, grieving, going on, surviving, never forgetting, always remembering, always loving, & living for the better of all humanity.

Others that came in contact with us through Kira; just wanted us to know that they loved her. Kira's battle blended with their own personal battles for faith, love, hope, & joy. The same thoughts occurred to us, each time someone stepped forward to share, console, or love us & to love the "Kira" in their life.
"Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet Is fighting some kind of battle." author unknown

Kira's Love

A Legacy Of Love

We created this blog to honor our daughter "Kira".

She left her Legacy on us, her family; to be family!

Always our Daughter!

In Loving Memory Of: Kira Storm, Our Angel in Heaven. Always Loved, Always Remembered, Always With Us. 3/30/05~3/31/06