Bringing Isaac Home - You Can Help!

About a week ago, I spent a wonderful evening at a craft night reconnecting with friends I knew from my high school youth group. I know some of you who know me might be asking, "Craft night? Monna???" and then bursting into hysterical laughter. Ok, ok. I can take the ridicule. You might remember my Facebook pic of the unfortunate felting incident which clearly illustrates my singular lack of crafting skill. Therefore, why would I go to a craft night? So glad you asked.

Friends of mine created this craft night to create items that can be sold to support the adoption of a very special little boy named Isaac. My friends Jason and Jaime, already parents of three beautiful kids, want to add Isaac to their family.  Now, I could try to tell you the story of how they came to this decision or I can let you read their story here and point you to the blog where they're chronicling their journey here.

I will tell you that they have a huge amount of money to raise - $40,000 - to adopt Isaac. I can tell you that Isaac has Down Syndrome. In his country, Down Syndrom kids are usually institutionalized by age 4 and their survival rate after that goes down significantly. Isaac is now 3. I can also tell you that I have known Jaime and Jason for years and that just thinking of them always warms my heart and brings a smile to my face. They are lovely people, inside and out and are kind, honest and of the highest character. I know they will be wonderful and loving parents to Isaac.

Yes, I know. This baby is wearing a pink onesie. But, it really is Isaac

Just a note about adoption fundraising. Prior to becoming a parent, I thought this was a really strange idea. After all, if someone wants to adopt, shouldn't they be responsible enough to do it themselves? Then, I had kids and my heart opened to the needs of children around the world to be fed, clothed, rescued from desolation - loved. Now, I think of what I hope someone else would do to help my children if I were gone. And, then, I take every opportunity to make a difference in the lives of children (and adults) near me, even if I only have $5 or my talents to offer. There are so many children who need homes and if I can help in any way, I'm on board!

So, I donated to Isaac's adoption as soon as I heard.

Hope you will help too. You can donate here.

Please -  Pass this link along to anyone who you think might be interested in helping!

 Here are some memories of the great craft night. Don't worry, I did not waste any crafting supplies by trying to create anything. This post is my contribution..

Darling little aprons

Jeanine, one of the lovely and craft-talented volunteers

Paper bead necklaces. These are hard work!

One of the necklaces, modeled by my friend Megan.

Beautiful friends from high school, Megan and Rachel. They look like they just graduated, right?

One of my favorite items, a pillowcase dress of retro fabric!

A volunteer to whom I should probably donate my own scrapbooking supplies. She actually might use them!

Darling little hair baubles. My daughter proudly wears one!

All the talented women! Jaime is gal in the middle wearing the gray shirt. Photo Credit to Megan O of The O Show blog

Multi-family Housing & Creating Community

A while back, Taz Loomans at Blooming Rock Blog wrote a post about multi-family housing and how while it's taking off in some parts of the country, it's not viewed so highly here in Phoenix - yet. I've been thinking about it ever since. Robert and I have lived in a small multifamily housing community for about 10 years. While there are certainly pros and cons and I sometimes still want a single family house (mainly because I need the garden space), overall, we've loved it.

These are some of the benefits of a multi-family community.

1. It's cost effective. Our mortgage is within our budget and we share the cost of major repairs with our neighbors. We save money by buying less "stuff" because a smaller space requires efficient organization. And, in a compact space, we can afford high quality, green remodeling while staying within our budget.

2. Less work for us. We hire landscapers, plumbers, overall maintenance people - at a reasonable cost, also shared with neighbors. Perfect for artists like us - who work all week and perform on nights and weekends. There's not much of time left for yard work.

3. Less to clean. A larger house doesn't even appeal to me anymore - for this reason.

4. We can live in the heart of the city. Because we chose a townhouse, we can live in a neighborhood (that would otherwise be out of our budget) near everything we love - like hiking, work, church, urban culture, Grandma & Grandpa *smile*.

5. Affordability allows us to pursue our gifts and passions as careers. Living simply in a multi-family house means we can do what we love - for a living. We have fun all week, not just on the weekend. Don't get me wrong...we work our booties off and we live more simply...but it's worth it.

6. More fresh air. Small space - small children? Sanity requires me to get off my duff and get out of the house frequently - to visit local businesses, the library, the park, our garden at Grandma's house...

7. Community. We know our neighbors. And, they're amazing. From teachers to engineers, business professionals to a hard core biker-hairdresser, they are an eclectic mix - quirky, kind and always interesting!

 This last point is the most important to me.

The people in our community are great people. Financial decisions regarding the functionality, appearance and value of our property are not the only things that tie us together. We know each other and are invested in each other's lives. It's typical for me to go out front to pick rosemary for dinner and find myself in a conversation with two or three neighbors. We look out for each other. If a neighbor goes to the hospital, people in our community often visit - depending on whether or not the person has family.  Rides to the doctor, babysitting and cards to those who have suffered a loss (even a dog!) are the norm here.

Those of you who are into gaming will appreciate the roles played by members of our community. We are a little town unto ourselves. We have the grumpy old man, the healer, the gatekeeper (nobody gets by him!), the resident drunk (position currently open), and the crazy lady who hollars at her kids across the yard (that would be me, oops). There is something refreshing and powerful about discovering it's possible for such different people to live together peacefully.

These past ten years, we've learned important lessons about acceptance (read: love, not tolerance) and community that we might not have learned if we'd been able to drive straight into a garage every night. Our home choice has forced us to recognize our connection to each other and to be more careful of the relationships we need to build and maintain with the people who share our larger space. And our lessons give us a picture of how we should be living in our larger community in Phoenix, in Arizona, the USA, the rest of the world. Our individual choices, financial and social, don't just change our lives, they change the world for those around us too.

My relationships with my neighbors change me in unexpected ways. They have opened my eyes to seeing the world in ways I might have otherwise missed. And, while our financial fates initially tied us together, we have found true friendships here. As I write this, I'm filled with gratefulness for these neighbors who have become my friends. They have shown us love and kindness, compassion and wisdom in the times we've most needed it. If we ever do move, we'll stay in the heart of the city where we can keep learning and keep building these relationships that make us better people. It's something Robert and I believe in and it is what we want our children to learn about our city and the world.

We're doing more than just sharing space. We're creating community.

Some Trust in Chariots...

Last week, we finished a series at my church about politics and the kingdom of God. It's been on my mind all week. I realize that some of you might be ready to stop reading this post already - but just give me a moment. I may not be going the direction you think...

The younger version of myself worked briefly for a public policy organization while on a "break" from college years ago. I was passionate about what a true statesman could do in office - like show us a different way of governing America. When my party swept into power, I was convinced that America had a brighter and better future. After all, GOD was on my party's side and we would prevail.

Since then, we've been through war, recession and power struggles that have given both parties opportunity to show what they're really made of. And what have both of them proved over and over? That neither integrity, scandal, good intention nor corruption are characteristics exclusive to either party and that business as usual is often a prominent theme for both. When it comes right down to it, politics is a messy business and no matter who you voted for, they are sure to disappoint you in some way.

So, what am I suggesting? Don't I believe in America? Should we throw in the towel and stop voting? Give up and hope for the best?  Don't I believe God is a Republican/Democrat?

Well, in order -
1. YES!
2. No and
3. No.
4. Uh, no. I don't.


Here's what I DO believe about politics

I believe in exercising my right to vote. If you are feeling disillusioned, just look at the world around us and see what happens when people don't have the chance to vote or the incredible opportunity we have to change who's in power. Even when party members prove to be less than the "saviors" we're hoping them to be, they still create change and prove that the checks and balances in our system still work.

I believe in the people of America and more specifically - the people in my immediate community. They have proven over and over again their extraordinary strength, courage and compassion in the times it has been needed most.  Think 9-11, Katrina and countless other disasters here at home and around the world. I believe in my fellow country-people and I believe in the Constitution of this country, which provides the  framework for a culture that produced such fiercely freedom-loving and caring people.

I believe that change begins with me. More than affiliation with the right political party, I believe the characteristic which should define my life is love for my neighbor -even if he or she doesn't share my political views. And not just theoretical love - where I say, "I love him but I don't like him very much" and consequently don't associate with him or her. I'm talking about real, genuine love and friendship - which guides the way I treat my neighbors and causes me to engage in real relationships within my community.

So, for those of you who are disappointed/excited about the election results this morning, remember that REAL, lasting change won't be a result of any one party getting into office. Because when elections are over, politicians and the public often go back to business as usual. Real change in our world will happen when people like you and like me choose to get up off our couches, leave the comfort zone of our houses, families and churches and (as Gandhi said) become the change we want to see in the world.

What do you believe? Agree or not - post your opinions below. Just do it courteously.