Louisiana Sandusky writes to a new friend in Ohio after Ruby Oppenheimer wrote to her.
Tuesday, February 20, 2007 (Mardi Gras Day!)~
Dear Ruby in Ohio~
Greetings! Thanks for your letter; it was good to hear from you!
I am getting ready to go back to work, but I thought I would take the remaining time to write y'all a quick e-mail. Thanks for wriring; it was a joy to get your letter!
I am sorry you are going through the waiting period; you are so right: waiting is the hardest aspect of adoption; that's when you wonder if you are even going to get the child! I hope the waiting ends soon! It did for us; we got our four newest children last week, and we couldn't be any happier! I hope Mariah comes soon, for your sake!
Mariah sounds like a beautiful little girl. We adopted two little boys from Iraq (Emir Muhammed) and India (Habir Vijay), and two little girls from China and Vietnam (Opal Lee and Emma-Ruth); they are all absolutely beautiful! They don't speak English yet and they are all rather shy (not to mention, scared), but in time, this will pass as they learn to love us. We have already fallen in love with them; that isn't hard to do! :)
We now have fifty-nine Miracles in our International Family. Our chldren come from places like Africa, the United States, Canada, Mexico, Latin America (Guatemala), Bosnia Hergezovina, Romania, Russia, the Netherlands, France, Italy, Iran, Iraq, Israel, China, Vietnam, Korea, Japan, Malaysia, India, and Sri Lanka. Our children now range in age from one-and-a-half to 25 years, and most have significant disabilties ranging from Down syndrome to autism, learning disabilities to missing limbs, spina bifida to muscular dystrophy, juvenile rhuematoid arthritis to asthma or allergies, vision or hearing problems to mental retardation, cerebral palsy to emotional problems, and mental illness to paralysis. Yet their disabilities are the last thing we look at when we see our kids: when we look at them, we see their ABILITIES! :)
My husband and I decided to adopt children with special needs after we lost our three birth children and got over the worst of the grief. No, it wasn't easy (at times it stil isn't, particularly on their birthday anniversary dates or on days like Thanksgiving or Christmas), but we know they are safe in the Arms of Jesus, and that they are all in a much better place. This is what gives us hope, and we know that it won't be long before we are reunited in Paradise; o, what a happy day that is going to be! :)
We adopted children with disabilities (or children who were older or racially mixed) because too often these are the children that people forget about, and we wanted to let these beautiful kids know that we cared for them; therefore, we took them into our home (and into our hearts). Now it has gotten to the point to where we can't imagine the family without any of the children; it always happens!
You will have to send us a picture of your Mariah; I will be sending you a picture of our "village" in the mail; be on the lookout for it! I hope you will enjoy it! Glad you read the books; that means a lot to me to know that you enjoyed them! I will be doing more, I have so many ideas or things to write about!
(In case you are wondiering, I do most of my writing when on break at work, or when the kids are in bed, in the middle of the night, or on weekends, just as long as the kids aren't interrupting me! LOL)
Autism is a frustrationg disability; I know because one of my sons (Roberto) has autistic-like tendencies. He also has, in addition to the autistic tendencies, Down syndrome, heart problems (he's had several surgeries), and cerebral palsy that affects his legs (he uses crutches to walk). He is a good kid most of the time, but he does have his moments where he drives us absolutely bonkers! Yet he can't help it, so disciplining him can be a bit of a challenge.
Well, Ruby, I will let you go. I will write to you again. Take care, and God bless you! Hope to hear from you soon!
(((HUGS))) and much love, a new friend in Tennessee, Louisiana Sandusky (Mama to 59 Miracles!). :D
P.S.: How is the weather up there in Columbus? Still cold? Here it's warmed up considerably: we had highs in the sixties here; very pretty! And tonight is supposed to be delightful as well, with temps in the upper sixties to near seventy. Which is just as well: we are going to a Mardi Gras celebration our city is having; we are looking forward to having a great time! :)
Truly enjoyed this read also.
I love the ongoing conversation that takes place with each correspondence, you haven't missed a beat yet on your letter exchanges Karen.
Sensational~just great,
Continued love and enlightenment to you,
Sincerely,
~From the Heart...
He Keeps Me is a devotional journey of revelation and insight birthed out of prayer.Searching the Word of God revealed the many ways that He has kept me and continues to keep me. Each day is an opportunity to recognize that God is mindful of you, eve
