• Home
  • Blog
  • The Sparrow Fund
    • Together Called
    • We Are Grafted In blog
    • Speaking
  • Jiayin
  • Contact

My Overthinking

Philly Area mom, Life forever changed by adoption

  • Home
  • Blog
  • The Sparrow Fund
    • Together Called
    • We Are Grafted In blog
    • Speaking
  • Jiayin
  • Contact

Archives for April 2012

Building the Nest 2012

4.30.12

It’s been a year since The Sparrow Fund officially launched. A challenging year of figuring this non-profit thing out.

But, all the late nights, computer time, and paperwork get chalked up to “oh, it’s not that big of deal,” when we see pictures like this.

That’s Mazie. And, we got to play a small part of her coming on home to her family.

She’s one of 11 children whose families we helped through a grant in 2011.

11 children who were alone who are now sons and daughters.

That’s something to celebrate right there.

Her mom just emailed me with this–

We wouldn’t have adopted this sweet amazing beloved child without the medical review that Sparrow’s Fund assisted with. There were just too many unknowns in her medical reports for us to feel comfortable proceeding with her adoption without a professional interpreting them for us. The medical evaluation that Sparrow’s Fund paid for couldn’t answer all our questions, but it did help us understand the reports that we were given, consider things that we hadn’t even thought about before, and helped give us peace about proceeding with her adoption and the unknowns that remained. Thank you so very much Sparrow’s Fund for being the Lord’s hands here on Earth! Thank you for lifting the financial burden of the medical review and helping make the adoption of our Mazie Jade possible!

And, you know how we were able to be a part of this miracle? In large part because 33 businesses last May partnered with us, giving us 10% of their total sales in May.

It’s the end of April, 4 months into 2012, and we’ve had the joy of awarding 8 grants already.

As applications have come in, I confess that I got a bit concerned—Can we get all 33 businesses on board again this year? Will that 10% be enough? We’re going to need more.

Silly me.

There aren’t 33 businesses to Build the Nest this May.

There are only 58.

And, each one has said, “We want to do what we can to support adoptive families!” And, they have chosen to do that in a significant way this month, giving 10% (or in some cases more) of their total sales to The Sparrow Fund so that we can give grants to adoptive families so that they can get the help and support they need in every season of their adoption journey.

Check these places out—find some new fave shops. Schedule a portrait session. Buy your mom a gift. Or, buy yourself a gift, why don’t you. Share your favorite items on your online spaces, and get the word out that these places support adoption. And, thank them for stepping out to do that in such a significant way. It’s a pretty big deal. I’m a bit wowed by it all—and can’t wait to see how God multiplies that 10%, ‘cause I know He will.

web buttonPhotobucketAgape Love Boutique
Photobucketblogbutton3-Edit-Edit-1Photobucket

If you have a business and want to be a part of this May fundraising event, we’d love for you to join us. Email me. I’d be glad to add you to this post. That would pretty much rock.

No related posts.

Posted by Kelly the Overthinker
Filed Under: The Sparrow Fund May drive

Love your neighbor

4.29.12

when they give your daughter a horse 2/3 her size

that causes her to gasp with joy when she saw it for the first time and every time after that 

that she names Mei Mei and insists on doing everyday life with.
Do you think it comes alive when we leave the room and tells the other toys stories about how it was passed down from a 15 year old who no longer played with her to a 3 year old who can’t get enough of her but sits on her and pulls her tail?
It’s possible.

No related posts.

Posted by Kelly the Overthinker
Filed Under: Lydia

Dear Monday

4.23.12

Dear Monday,
Last time we saw each other, it was simply lovely. You were so warm. And, I so enjoyed our time together as did my children.

But, I am now confused because you are so cold–not at all the warm self we grew to love. In fact, you are quite ugly, and your ugliness has a dramatic effect on how the rest of us feel. In fact, my youngest child told her Daddy, “It’s raining, it’s pouring, the old man is Daddy.”

At the risk of sounding rude, we are kindly asking that you do not visit again until you are ready to be the Monday we know you can be.

Thank you very much,
The Raudenbush family

Ni Hao Yall

No related posts.

Posted by Kelly the Overthinker
Filed Under: Sunday Snapshot

Discrimination makes me sad…okay, a little mad too

4.17.12

Last Friday night, I somehow found myself listening to this. I know it was meant to be entertaining. It is a performance after all. A 15-minute monologue by a New York actress who worked a season at F.A.O. Schwartz selling dolls—rather working in a “nursery” and helping girls under 8 “adopt” a baby. She gives an account of how the white dolls sold out and all that remained were babies with darker skin–Asian, Hispanic, and Black–and one “special needs” white baby–all dolls that well-off white mothers were shocked by.

Take 15 minutes and listen to it.

I was shocked when I did.

And embarrassed.

Embarrassed by my peers who I wish I could smack a bit, to be honest.

But, I guess I shouldn’t be so surprised.

We’ve only had about 47 years of legalized equality vs. 473 years of legalized slavery or legalized discrimination.

Shocking when you think of it that way, isn’t it?

And, apparently, it takes a long time to undo what has been learned. Thoughts. Feelings. Behaviors.

And, honestly, I wonder if it will ever be undone when just a couple weeks ago, someone looked at my daughter and asked me with genuine concern, “What is it?”

Don’t get me started about the treatment of the one baby with physical differences talked about in this monologue…

_____________________________________________

Check the timeline out…

1492 – Columbus
1619 – 1st slaves to America
1787 – Legalized slavery & discrimination (3/5 person status)
1865 – End of legal slavery (Emancipation Procamation/13th Amendment)
1882 – Chinese denied citizenship
1896 – Separate but Equal made law (Plessy vs. Ferguson)
1954 – Separate but Equal laws overturned (Brown vs. Board of Education)
1965 – Civil Rights Act

No related posts.

Posted by Kelly the Overthinker
Filed Under: Living as a multiracial family

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • Next Page »

Hello

I overthink everything. This blog is a prime example. Make yourself a cup of coffee and sit down for a read. Actually, make that a pot of coffee. There’s a lot of overthinking here.

Connect

Recent Posts

She’s come a long way

Gift ideas for a happy-China-traveler-to-be

Three gifts.

A letter to my friend on her adoption eve

The day my husband quit his job {reflections 5 years later}

Subscribe to keep up to date via a newsletter

Archives

Popular Posts

  • The day we met Lydia in Xi'an
  • Getting the attachment thing
  • The day my husband quit his job
  • Other places you can find my writing

    Connect

    Popular Posts

    • The day we met Lydia in Xi'an
    • Getting the attachment thing
    • The day my husband quit his job
    • Archives

      April 2012
      M T W T F S S
       1
      2345678
      9101112131415
      16171819202122
      23242526272829
      30  
      « Mar   May »

Follow Along!

Categories

Recent Posts

She’s come a long way

Gift ideas for a happy-China-traveler-to-be

Copyright © 2015 | Design by Dinosaur Stew