Thinking

I have a great friend.  I've known her for years.  She held my first baby in church every week and ooohed and ahhhed over her little tights and mini shoes.


Her and her husband cannot have any children of their own and are adopting a sweet little boy from Haiti.  They have been waiting for many months now and were recently told they would have to wait another 8-10 months more at the least.  They have paid all the fees, filled out all the papers, had the interviews and visits and consultations and whatnot.  They visit him in Haiti as often as possible and bring boxes and boxes of supplies for the orphanage...but can you imagine the heartache each time they have to leave him there?  It rips my heart out to hear her talk about it.  I have four children of my own and to think of leaving any one of them in a foreign country in less than favorable conditions, is inconceivable.  I simply cannot fathom it.

Anyway, they have come to a sort of stand-still in the adoption process...waiting and waiting for paperwork,  red tape and black holes.  So I got to thinking.  I wondered what I could possibly do to help.  Unfortunately I don't have much pull with Haiti (if you do, let me know), so I decided that if we all could keep her little family in our prayers and thoughts, maybe... just maybe we could help somehow to bring their baby home....because I think we are all connected.

In fact... a piece of a quote has been circulating around and around in my head for the last few weeks... and I finally sat down for a few minutes to give it some recognition and to write down what my unconscious has already been thinking and sort through it all.

"No man is an island, entire of itself...any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind..."  John Donne

I really believe it.  We are not in this alone.  We are all connected. We joy in other's happiness, we mourn for those with trials and struggles, we learn from each other, we struggle sometimes to get along...but I don't think life would be nearly as meaningful if we sat in our own little houses eating our private meals with no friends or acquaintances....just filtering in and out of humanity when necessity demanded it.  


I have so many friends and family members hurting or struggling right now, whether it be through sickness, loss of loved ones, financial hardships, loss of homes, chronic illness, broken marriages, life-changing decisions, job loss, or trying to adopt the sweetest little boy with the biggest brown eyes you've ever seen. 


My prayers at night are so long and it seems they get longer every day.  I think a big portion of us are having some difficult time or another and I really do believe that no man is an island.  We are impacted by one another.  We need each other...right now, more than ever... to help and support and lift and laugh.


Anyway, I was just thinking.