Christmas left me feeling harried and looking more like my Banshee avatar. If I wanted to I could make a laundry list of complaints and frustrations from the weekend. Truly, I could go on and on and on and....
You get the idea.
But instead I'm not going to do that. I am going to take my frazzled frown and turn it upside down and choose to focus on the moments of happy I had.
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Noah has developed a silly little trick as of late. When he wants a specific DVD to play in his room he will bring it to me to put into the machine (which is 6' off the ground on a shelf) and when I go into his room to do it he will then grab onto my pant legs in what I think is an attempt to keep me from walking away before pressing the play button. Its something small and deliberate and yet it makes me smile every time he does it.
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Noah has also made the leap into writing. His dad bought him a giant pad of paper and new colored pencils for Christmas and he has spent the weekend writing out the colors and using the correct ones to spell each word. This really is a big deal and seeing him do this independently really warmed my heart. My baby boy is growing up!
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Sam has come down with the dreaded head cold that is making its way through our house. Unfortunately he has also developed impetigo on his face from rubbing his nose with his hands (ICK!).
Make no mistake, his being sick and covered in a contagious rash is NOT something that makes me happy.
However, the way he is handling my washing his hands, cleaning his face, and even applying a medicated ointment with no fuss truly is something to be celebrated! Just a year ago this kind of nursing would have required the help of another adult to hold him down.
My big boy has come such a long way!
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The biggest moment of happy came to me this morning when I was reading the blog Life Rearranged by my pal Jeannett.She has partnered with Reece's Rainbow to raise $20,000.00 to bring sweet Cliff from an orphanage in Russia to a forever home with a family in the United States. Currently her efforts have raised more than $7,500.00!
Reece's Rainbow is a non-profit organization that assists families wanting to adopt children with down syndrome from foreign countries (mostly Russia & other European countries). Sweet Cliff is just one of hundreds of children needing a family to call his own.
This week Jeannett is asking everyone to give just $1 towards bringing Cliff home.
And I realized I could do so much more than that.
So I did.
And you know what?
Nothing, and I do mean NOTHING feels as good as giving of what you have to those who have so little.
If you would like to read more about little Cliff and Jeannett's mission to bring him home you can read about it here.
Please consider making a donation. Every amount, even a $1 can make a difference!
