I've been thinking. . .

There was finally a baby boy referral for JOH last week! That's good news---still no baby girl referrals---not so good news. We patiently wait for good news to come in and in the meantime, we are enjoying our days, making family memories and working on creating a beautiful nursery for our sweet baby girl in Taiwan---for when she finally comes home.

I try not to watch too much on the news as it is pretty discouraging in our world, right now. But, I couldn't help but make a poignant connection. . . after listening to all the AIG hubub. There are an estimated 143 million orphans in our world. Each child a beautiful individual soul in need of a loving family. . . Have you ever considered "how much" 143 million is? It is staggering. These are our children, our world's future.

Anyway, connecting the AIG "hubub" to the orphan crisis. . . Can you imagine how many children could be brought into loving families with "just 1" of those million dollar bonuses? And, to take it even further.. . Now they are trying to pass a bill to make each of those receiving the bonus pay a 90% tax on it---so essentially the government will get most of the money back. 10% of 1 million dollars is $100,000.00. When I consider that the greatest obstacle standing between adoptive families and the children who need to be placed in their loving arms is the prohibitive costs of the adoption process (ranging from $20K-$50K or more depending on the country and program), I am blown away to think that someone's "bonus check" (even after being taxed at 90%) could complete 3-5 adoptions. 3-5 children's lives could be changed forever, going from hopeless and helpless alone in an orphanage to "a hope and a future" with a loving family, with just 1 person's 90% taxed "bonus check".

We look at what we pay our celebrities and our athletes and our CEO's, and then we take a look at the millions of helpless, innocent children who have been placed in our care who are sitting in unthinkable, unsanitary and unloving environments--hoping that the grown-ups "in charge" of our world will finally "see" their invisible faces. . . and instead eyes are closed and greed is fed.

"Only 1" of those bonus checks, 90% taxed, would bring 3 children home. . . poignant, isn't it?

My prayer is that one day, we will open our eyes to the invisible voiceless children of our world and realize they are the world's hidden treasures and it is up to us to love them and provide them families---and I believe the greatest blessing will come from these children who finally would be given a voice, a name, a face and a forever family. . . .