Tuesday, February 28, 2012

So very thankful

I know this is not a post about Belize, but I just had to share the thankfulness that has been running through my heart since yesterday. I woke up this morning with the same thoughts and just had to share.

Somehow, I have come across several blogs by people adopting children with Down's Syndrome from other countries. Yesterday another one came into my path, and I sat and read through the old posts with a mixture of emotions and thoughts. Terrible pain and sorrow for children in the conditions I saw described, and thankfulness and joy for the family who was opening their home up to one of these children.

The blog is here, and I linked to a post with a little information about children in a similar state. This precious girl was born with Down's Syndrome and place in a government home in Bulgaria immediately after birth. At nine years of age she looked like this:



She weighed a little over 10 pounds and measured 29 inches long. Her upper thigh was a mere 5 inches around.





She reacted to being touched or held, because she had never known that. She had spent the nine years of her life in a crib.


There are many Down's Syndrome children like her. It breaks my heart, and at the same time makes me sooooo thankful that God put my sister Rachel in our family. 26 years ago she was born with Down's Syndrome. She weighed 8 pounds. She was 21 inches long. This 9 year old child was only slightly larger than that. Rachel thrived and grew. She loved being touched and held. She still loves to give hugs. She has always brought great joy to our lives. I have had many reasons to be thankful for her life, but today I add this bit of thankfulness, the fact that she had the opportunity to thrive in an atmosphere of love and kindness, and not spend her life as the child above. Thank you Lord!


Rachel and I this past Christmas:













 I am also thankful the sweet little girl pictured above finally has a loving family to grow and thrive in. Here she is not long after her adoption:


Thanks for bearing with this deviation from news about Belize, I just had to share how thankful I am for the opportunity to love on and be blessed by my sweet Rachel, as well as give thanks for those who are giving the opportunity of love to sweet children around the world.

1 comment:

Sherjo said...

Heart breaking to see how tiny that horribly neglected 9 year old girl was.

Quite a contrast to sweet Rachel!