Ok, I got all the nasties out of my system with the last post. I am more objective now and feeling a little more charitable towards others. I know that people are just trying to be nice and help - even if they aren’t actually helping.
Alex had an exciting occurrence a couple of days ago. He and I had written some letters to lawmakers and congressman and ambassadors and such about the Russian adoption situation. Alex was very concerned that Ukraine was starting to investigate adoptions as well. He was adamant that adoptions be allowed to continue and was amenable when I suggested we write letters. At first he wanted only me to do it - he kept saying you are the parent - they want to hear from you. But then when I explained how powerful the message would be from a child who had actually been adopted, he relented and wrote a letter as well.
Well, we sent them off and really didn’t think to much more about them until he got a phone call the other day from the Consul General of the Ukrainian consulate in San Francisco. He was so excited and conversed with the gentleman in Russian for quite some time. The gentleman extended an offer of help with anything Alex needed and gave him his phone number. I think it was an excellent lesson for Alex to realize that indeed, one voice can make a HUGE difference.
This has spurred on our desire to help other kids. Amanda was asking me about adopting another child at one point and I can honestly say no. I don’t know about forever, but I don’t think so. I had one more child I needed to mother, and Alex was the one. From the very first time I saw him, my heart knew. I am fulfilled now and don’t feel the need to mother anything else. I want to help the other children, and wish I could take them, but it would be for charity and not because I honestly felt they were my children. So, we have been doing a lot of things with the Gates foundation and when Alex and I were talking the other day, I thought, what about getting a grant from them to help the orphanage. Alex has always been decrying the poor outdoor facilities like the playground and the small soccer field, so I thought, why not? This will be the project that we will be working on this summer to see if we can do something.
On that note, I suggested he call the orphanage the other night. The first couple of nights we tried, we couldn’t get anyone, but last night, we finally did. The orphanage director, Ludmyla herself answered the phone and then called just about everyone on the staff to talk to him. They were excited to talk to him and wanted us to send some pictures. He was happy after the call, and I was happy that I had suggested it. He is always going to have ties to Ukraine, but if I can broaden them and give him some healthy reasons for being there, like philanthropy, then I think it will be better for him. When he thinks of Ukraine now, he is sad. He misses his friends, family, and has bad memories as well of being mistreated and neglected and being stuck in the orphanage. But if we can turn these around and have him think of Ukraine in terms of a project and give him goals and others to talk to instead of his family, I think it can only help. A purpose and direction can dispel a lot of negativity. So I will keep you updated on this latest venture!
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