A CHRISTMAS MIRACLE

......long silence......
hmmmmmmmm
I know what all of you are thinking, and if it's what I think your thinking, you haven't been dealing with "the system" long enough or you've been watching too much Life Time over the holidays.
YOU think on Christmas eve a SW knocked on our door and said, "OH, D, I've waited all day for the supervisor to finish your case review and sign it and I just could NOT leave until I brought you the final adoption papers. I know you've waited 18 needless months for this, and I wasn't going to go home until this boy had PARENTS FOR CHRISTMAS! Here, here it is. Sign these papers and your adoption is all done!
HAHAHAHA,HEHEHEHE, you poor naive people. NO!!!!! (As we all know, or will know soon enough all "social agencies" are closed working 4 days before & 4 days after all major holidays. Closed 2 working days before & 2 days after for all minor holidays (like boxing day in Canada & sushi day in Japan) Do not make the mistake of thinking anything happens between November 1st & Feb. 1st.
Anyway, I digress, back to my miracle.
Our Christmas miracle every year .... so far. Is getting the Christmas decoration back up the match stick size drop down stairs to the attic. Where Barbie & Ken would break a rung if not careful. Pushing 100 lb plastic containers BACK up those "stairs" with out the help of gravity we had letting them tumble helter skelter down said stairs 3 weeks before.
We call it a miracle.
When the afore mentioned happens with a SW. We will call it, "God coming down and having a little heart to heart talk with a SW and her agreeing something needs to be done".

SOMEONE PLEASE GIVE THIS MAN AN AWARD!

ROLAND MARTIN IS OFFICIALLY MY HERO for the next 6 next months. AND he's on CNN no less. Can you believe it? Some one had the guts to stand up and SAY something....on TV...ON CNN.
(CNN) -- This whole push to remove Christ from the Christmas season has gotten so ridiculous that it's pathetic.
Because of all the politically correct idiots, we are being encouraged to stop saying "Merry Christmas" for the more palatable "Happy Holidays." What the heck are "Seasons Greetings"? Can someone tell me what season we are greeting folks about? A Christmas tree? Oh, no! It's now a holiday tree. Any Christmas song that even remotely mentions Christ or has a religious undertone is being axed for being overtly religious. And I'm sorry, forget X-M-A-S. Malcolm X? Yes. X replacing Christ? No.
Don't get me wrong; I'm very respectful of other religions. I don't want anyone to be afraid of discussing the Jewish faith when we address Hanukkah. And we shouldn't dismiss Muslims when the annual pilgrimage to Mecca is held during December. In fact, Americans are so ignorant of other faiths that we can all learn from one another.
But this seeming backlash against Christianity is bordering on the absurd, and we should continue to remember that Jesus is the reason for the season.
I know that may sound strident, but it's true. We spend an inordinate amount of time focused on shopping and buying gifts, but really, what does any of this have to do with the birth of Jesus? We have families all over the nation killing themselves to buy a tree they can't afford, running up their credit to buy toys and other gifts, all in an effort to make someone else happy.
What if families decided to forgo gifts, and instead, used their shopping days giving back to those in need? What if more of us went into our closets, grabbed old toys and clothes, repackaged them, and provided them as gifts to those without? Instead of gorging on food, what if we used some of the dough to feed those who are in need? What if we blew off those gift cards to electronic retailers and signed up with Networkforgood.org, and gave someone a gift card to their favorite charity?
Sure, I know I sound like a reincarnation of a flower child, but really, do we have to be so crass during the Christmas season?

Its time that we return to traditional values, and end this ridiculous charade. It's important that we take a fuller account of WHY we celebrate Christmas, as opposed to falling for the barrage of ads that tell us what is most important.
Parents, don't be so consumed with the notion that your children will have a terrible Christmas because the tree isn't overflowing with gifts. The true love that you show them is more important than anything else.
America might be the king of capitalism, but secularism must never become so prevalent that our religious traditions are discarded.
Roland S. Martin is a nationally award-winning journalist and CNN contributor. Martin is studying to receive his master's degree in Christian communications at Louisiana Baptist University, and he is the author of "Listening to the Spirit Within: 50 Perspectives on Faith." You can read more of his columns at www.rolandsmartin.com.

SOMETHING THINK ABOUT,..other than non-adoption!

This is from our hospital chaplain, who sends emails to those employees who would like words of encouragement during the Christmas season. This one gave me just a little heart tug and/or slap in the face. Thank you God for your beautiful Grace & much needed mercy!
Maybe you'll get as much out of it as I did.

Matthew 24:29 Immediately after the suffering of those days the sun will be darkened, and the
moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of heaven will be shaken.

Night-mare. n 1. Formerly, an evil spirit believed to haunt and suffocate sleeping people. 2. A frightening dream, often accompanied by a sensation of oppression and helplessness.
Grace. n ….. 5. Mercy, clemency

It was just a thought, I think, it may have been a nightmare. What if God, at the time God decided to bring about the conception of Christ, chose not to do so because of earlier experiences with humankind. Here goes God's thought process as I remember them from my dream.
“Early on in creation humankind became so vile that I decided to wipe out everything, yet I found one person that was righteous so I restored humankind through the family of Noah. By golly, humankind turns right around and messes up again. When everything is going good they start moving away from my promises and my love. When humankind gets in trouble they come back in order for me to help them out of the pickle they got themselves into. When the Israelites were in Egypt their yoke was too heavy to bear so I send Moses to get them out and give them a new start. You think they will ever learn? I had this great idea about bringing a savior but looking at their past history I don't think they will understand, or change. It may be better for humankind to waddle in their own dung. It will save a lot of grief, confusion and disagreement. Mary will not become pregnant in a mysterious way, Joseph does not have to make a choice, the Three Wise-persons, Magi, from the East can stay home, the Shepherd boys will not be scared and confused, Judas will not have to betray his teacher, Peter does not have to deny his teacher three times, and my son will not have to suffer on the cross. I think I will not send my son to earth.” A nightmare, AAAAGH!!!!!
And so, in my nightmare, Jesus was not born and forgiveness was not available. During the nightmare I did not suffocate but I did wake up in a sweat. In those early morning hours I realized, and celebrated, the fact that Jesus was born and is born each and every day. God did not turn away from us but continues coming towards us. God has given us grace every time we asked for it. Grace was born into this world to die for the sins of humankind. That is clemency, having leniency for the other person. And as we celebrate the birth of Christ this year, remember that God’s gift was, and is, a gift of grace.

Unto us a child is born, let us reflect on that one for a bit.

Grace be with you.

We Wait, and We wait

Did I mention we've been waiting 6 months? For what you may ask? TPR has been done 6 months now.
If you find out please let me know. "Cause they ain't telling us.
This is ridiculas!

Everybody has an opinion on who was there. This is a 2 yr olds...

It stirs up theological debates, makes good Christians & friends argue

But this is who the Boy says was there that night.

Baby Jesus is on top of the manger. Even the alligator is a maybe. I'm just not so sure about that pig. I don't think it's kosher.

THINGS I DON'T UNDERSTAND

Why after realizing that there was a forgotten 18 year in our house, that fingerprints were need, didn't they realize at the same time that said 18 year old would also need a drug screen? don't these people do this for a living? Do they not do these things (adoptions) all the time? Now that the fingerprints are back.(yeah, yeah) NOW, they forgot she also needs drug screened. They didn't know that before? This is really becoming crazy. This boy has TPR done for 6 MONTHS NOW. There is NO reason why this wasn't done 4 months ago. They keep coming up with all these,"oh, just one more thing." they should add to drive you crazy with.
I just don't get this "system". You would think that they would want these kids out of the system and "off the payroll, so to speak ASAP. It's not like we're a new placement for him. He's lived with us since day one of being taken out of the home. 18 months to be precise. 6 months of that TPR has been done. I just do not get it.
Can anyone shed any light on this? We've been foster parents for going on 4 years. There is NOTHING that they don't know about us or have documented.
Sometimes I just shake me head. It really is a different existance we live in this foster care war.
OHHHHh, and to make matters worse, a little one we have, who just turned 1 today, has an over zealous CASA, who thinks she can come once a week at any time she chooses. Who cares if I work and have kinda sorta a life. Dr. appts for one and all and it's Christmas with lots of "stuff" on the calendar.
I wonder why more people aren't foster parents? or want to foster to adopt?