If You Sew Them...

(This tan one is now on hold - I can't replicate the lining, but could get more of this cord, and can replicate the tan plaid Africa).

(This is a sample picture - don't think I can replicate the lining - the exterior can be "almost" replicated in a small-print black/white houndstooth).

(This bag, above, can currently be replicated).

(This bag is one-of-a-kind - a few of the fabrics (but not the black denim) can be used in other bags. The bag below - tan with paisley Africa - can currently be replicated). Feel free to send a comment with your email if you have questions or want more pictures!

This bag-making I started about 18 months ago has been such a neat experience. After making 60 bags and thinking I would gradually, and with great effort, try to sell them to friends and family - and then selling all of them in a week after posting them on Facebook in July 2008 (say what you will about it, but Facebook has been a fantastic tool for lots of reasons) - there has been a steady trickle of interest which has pretty much kept pace with my availability to sew. These days, I've been mainly sewing on demand, just a bag here and there, but have a few ready-made bags again with plans to keep them coming. And just as I get back into sewing (after some busy times adjusting to work changes, summer activities, and my broken vertebrae), I've had a Jr. High classmate (through Facebook) offer to host a purse party featuring my bags! What a fun idea - just need to sew up a good supply - and with fall and Christmas on the way, the timing could be just right. So while we continue to have no idea where our adoption journey is headed, I keep being prompted to continue sewing...so I suppose I will do just that...

A Little Seasoning...

As things have been pretty repetitive here in blog-world lately, I wanted to post a few pictures to spice things up a bit. I finally have a couple of Gladwyn pics where she's not nervously glancing at the camera - here she is "camping" with us at the trailer a couple of weeks ago:

And here's Hesperantha, posing with as much dignity as she can muster. She's all grown up now, having turned two a week ago (but she hasn't figured that out yet).

One of my hibiscus blooms after a rain:

And a rainbow, spotted as we approached our campground:
We have definitely made the most of our little getaway this summer - driving into the campground provides an instant sense of calm, and it's been lovely spending nice, full days together reading and walking the dogs. Life there is just simple, and it's nice not to be surrounded by visual reminders of chores and yardwork and renovations - the trailer is easy to keep clean & tidy, the deck is fresh & sunny, and the little garden is super-low maintenance (and we don't cut the grass!). And then, at home, we've been making some headway again on renovations, so there seems to be a reasonable balance. This coming long weekend will mark the end of full summer weekends away - we will soon be back to Sunday School teaching and other commitments, so will be making shorter trips up through mid-October, when the campground closes for the season. I am always sad to see the summer season draw to a close, and this year we've certainly had some early reminders of fall, which I could have done without. However, this means that I can't get fall off of my mind, and I must admit to a hint of anticipation as I think about fall decorating, crisp air and leaves, and of course, the lead-up to the Christmas season. Don't want to rush things, but may as well savour what's coming...

One More Chance...

Ok, so earlier this week the "though-the-grapevine" on Ghana was not sounding good. Today, however, there is still a glimmer of possibility for all of us would-be adoptive parents and all the lovely children waiting for us in Ghana, as an experienced and qualified professional will be retained to look into the matter and work on getting some firm and final answers as to whether there is going to be opportunity for Canadians to adopt from Ghana. There is room to hope and pray that a restructured Imagine (again, a distinct possibility - will know more about that very soon) would be able to process Ghana adoptions - there are still LOTS of big "ifs" and obstacles in this regard, so keep those prayers going! I must admit, the waiting is feeling more tedious now, as we watch time continue to pass without offering answers. However, we still believe it is best to sit this out rather than make any big changes in our direction unless we need to...still hoping so much that there are open doors and open minds so that barriers can be lifted.

Sound Familiar?

We're still waiting.

We are happy to keep waiting to hear about possible agency restructuring plans, BUT we are really hoping to start hearing some specifics about the Ghana situation in particular. People are working on getting a sense as to whether Ghana adoptions will be able to proceed, and whether a newly restructured Imagine would be licensed to continue with Ghana adoptions...but this continues to be an ongoing question mark, apparently with no easy-to-come-by answers. We trust that the necessary people will quickly have opportunities to come together for information-sharing, decision-making...whatever it is that must be done so that we know whether Ghana is an option. It would be so lovely to have a bit of a plan again - for now we just float without a compass.

Reflection of the Day

Philippians 4:6-7

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

"The spiritual truth Paul describes cannot be grasped. This peace doesn't just surpass the understanding of the worldly man but surpasses all understanding. Even the godly man can't comprehend this peace. Paul is promising something that is not humanly explicable -- that a man surrounded by care and anxiety and harassment and concern can still live with the tranquility of God in his soul!" (http://www.preceptaustin.org/philippians_47.htm)

Signs of Life

A very little thing, perhaps, but I was just pleasantly surprised by an email update on the Ghana program from an Imagine staff member who is working along with the bankruptcy trustee - there is no particular progress in regard to Ghana, but even receiving an email update is evidence that there is still work being done, and that the agency still has a heartbeat! We continue the wait to learn about a proposal being developed to (hopefully) restructure the agency, so the future is certainly still open to any possibility, happy or sad. Anyway, there are some excellent, qualified folks trying to clarify the status of Canada-Ghana adoptions, and some key connections being made with people who might offer significant support and assistance both to clarify whether Ghana adoptions are possible, and then (if the answer is "yes") to help establish a process for these adoptions. So far, there has been a ray of hope that the doors may not be entirely closed to Ghana, which I admit I didn't expect to hear, so we are not ready to back out yet!

Come Together

Yesterday we attended the creditors meeting facilitated by the trustee handling our agency's bankruptcy. It was a really positive experience - something so devastating has the potential to be a very exciting time of united action, hope, and restoration. There was completely unanimous agreement in the room to work together to restructure the agency so that all clients can continue their adoptions. There is a great deal of energy and a strong sense of collaboration in this group. The trustee was excellent, and enthusiastic, and there was a display of cooperation and negotiation amongst those willing to represent all creditors as an "inspector" (a committee of 5 people who will now work with the trustee to oversee primarily financial decisions moving forward). I had a real sense that everyone wants to make this work, is willing to collaborate to do it, and that there are some very skilled people with lots of wisdom playing key roles in all of this. It was worth making a spectacle of myself in my reclining lawn chair, pressure relief cushion, and back roll to be there! Oh, and I did answer a few questions from a reporter afterward - also exciting. I just can't remember his name and haven't found any quotes by me in the new articles I've been reading :) Ghana families met for lunch afterward to chat about our unique situation and action plan to see if there is a way our Ghana adoptions can continue...but that's a long story, so we'll leave it at that for now and see what unfolds!

Domestic vs. International

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/westview/international-adoption-is-more-difficult-in-manitoba-51691682.html

This article is worth a look for those wanting to understand some of the complexities of choosing international vs. domestic adoption...

Press Conference

Imagine clients speaking live to the media - pretty much sums everything up:

http://toronto.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20090724/imagine_adoption_090724/20090724?hub=Toronto

Imagine Family Website & Blog

Keep up with news, plans, and other information related to efforts to find solutions for families of Imagine Adoption! Thank you SO much to everyone who is putting time and energy into this effort. We believe exciting things will come of all this.

familieswithhope.org

unitedfamiliesofimagine.blogspot.com

Encouraging Efforts & Support

Here is some public information that I wanted to paste here for quick reference, showing some of the efforts and support for Imagine Adoption clients so far (there are more examples, including official government statements, but these are quite lovely):

1. This an excerpt from a notice by Imagine's bankruptcy trustee, which is particularly pertinent to folks in our situation - there may still be hope that families without referrals will also have support to complete their adoptions along with those who have already been matched (and please remember to include these families in any letters, phone calls, etc.):

BDO Dunwoody is continuing discussions with the licensing government office, stakeholders, individuals and other organizations regarding continuity of services that were provided by the previous organization. If successful, and fully compliant with regulatory requirements, the unmatched files would continue to be managed. This objective is not typical for a bankruptcy of this nature; however, the sensitivity of this priority is recognized. We will continue to communicate the status of this option for the unmatched families between now and the creditor meeting on July 30th.

See http://www.bdo.ca/extranets/imagineadoption/index.cfm for more information

2. Here is a link to a blog post by a London MP for the Liberal Party, sharing his experience at our London area meeting last Sunday:

glenpearson.wordpress.com/2009/07/19/adopting-a-new-attitude/

3. Also, many, many thanks to Yamana Gold (www.yamanagold.com), who have so generously donated to keep Imagine's transition house in Ethiopia running - BDO states that Yamana's contribution will keep the home open until the children there are able to return home with their families. Beautiful.

Back-Breaking

Ah...so I slipped and fell on our wet deck today, and broke a lumbar vertebrae. Had my first ambulance ride, hours and hours lying on my back waiting for a diagnosis and clearance to move...now time will tell how things go. Maybe more time for letter-writing and so on to support our adoption agency advocacy efforts, though...

Standing for a Cause

Ok, so I feel like I'm the kind of person who likes the idea of causes, and has ideas about causes, but who doesn't actually invest much in causes. I'm basically a cause "poser" - and now I'm faced with the opportunity to choose - will I invest, or will I keep posing?

Well, last week I was following all the news and discussion, but without being terribly active. I figured Imagine was done, our Ghana process was done, and that was that - just accept it and start planning our next steps. On top of everything, all this time spent in limbo (which I realized has actually been since April in regard to Ghana - and if you count some of the major uncertainties we faced starting over a year ago when we were investigating other programs, coming up against obstacles, etc., our adoption journey has included about 8 months of hopeful optimism, and 14 months of 'known unknowns' (= major uncertainty). Anyway, 14 months of uncertainty forces a bit of detachment while waiting and waiting and waiting for news and major decisions about programs, and it seems to have made me feel a bit lost in regard to what I want to do next. But when I stopped to think about this issue outside of my own situation, I had to decide how much it matters. And I realized that even if I've lost some perspective on our own situation, if I really believe in international adoption and in the significance of the current situation for all Imagine clients, and for adoption in Ontario and across the country, then I need to participate. So, for our family, for Imagine clients, for the children, and for international adoption, I am taking up this cause. Nothing too wild yet, perhaps just a few letters, but it only feels right to stop posing and start doing.

Informed vs...not so much

I find it unsettling to observe the willingness of some to make hurtful, uninformed statements about others and their choices. In online comments to many of the articles covering our agency story, quite a few postings suggest that international adoptive parents are:

* Wealthy, since we managed to come up with the money to pursue private/international adoption. To me, this assumption really shows that some folks are having difficulty considering alternative scenarios...like maybe families have put off buying new cars, or bigger houses, or taking trips, or have taken on side jobs...and this may have taken years...

* Trying to be like celebrities. And to that, I really need to say that I am the last person to do something to be LIKE popular culture - I tend to go the other way. And I've wanted to adopt since childhood - way before international adoption became linked with celebrity...

* Participating in baby-buying. Ah, I'm not even sure how to respond to that one. A business needs incoming cash flow to pay staff, operate a building, etc. Adoption professionals do this as their JOB, not as a volunteer work. We are helping keep an organization running, ensuring that matched children are fed and clothed until they are in our care. This is the same as paying for the services of a lawyer to complete a private domestic adoption.

* Ignoring Canadian babies and children in need. This assumes (and there are some comments to this effect as well) that Canadian babies/children are easily available for adoption. Well, there are long waiting lists for private Canadian adoptions, so for those children, needs for family will be easily met. Canadian children are not in orphanages with low staff ratios. Foster situations are much preferable to orphanage care (still with a goal of family re-unification or adoption, not as a permanent solution). And, there are other considerations with domestic public adoption and older child adoption that are highly personal in nature. The fact is, worldwide (not just in Canada) there are children needing families. I am quite glad that some families feel led to pursue domestic adoption, and some to pursue international so that needs of children around the world are met...

Anyway, it's not the comments themselves that bother me - truly it isn't - but I am bothered by the ugliness of human nature sometimes. Not everyone has to love the idea of international adoption - and I can respect an opinion based on careful consideration, good understanding of the issues, and so on, even if it is different than mine. Feel free to offer enlightening comments when you read these articles...and if you are inclined not to say something nice, well, there are already plenty doing that, why not take a pass!

Suspension

It seems there is an active suspension of Ghana adoptions to Canadian families in place. What I don't know is whether there is a plan to review and possibly lift the suspension pending necessary information. I will be looking into this, as it is the first barrier to processing Ghana files even if a plan is put in place for Imagine clients...that is the first of a few barriers, but we'll start at step one. If there is any possibility of having the suspension lifted, pray that this will happen.