David and Julia: Soccer Time

You can see it on full screen on this link: http://www.scrapblog.com/rebecaknowles/2AA43833-ABBC

How God used a little dog to teach me the basic first lesson on adoption.

Some of you might think I am crazy and some of you that have a psychology degree might have even more insight than me over my experience and still others will feel relief to know they are not the only weird people in this world.

The story goes like this: it was December 2001 the year the world turned upside down for the people in the USA. For Brian and I, this was the year that God provided for us our new home. We were to move in Late December 2001 and it seemed at that time that this was not going to be easy. Brian might lose his job right after Christmas, his company asked him to take forced Christmas vacation with no pay and the rumor was, he would not have a job when he came back.

Still it was Christmas time and I was shopping for gifts at the mall. I went by a very popular store and saw that they were giving a gift with purchase, so I stopped and thought, I could buy some creams and toiletries for a friend and the little stuff animal could be a gift for a child. I went in and purchased enough to get my free gift, a little stuffed animal. It was a dog, a white Maltese dresses for winter and in one of her paws it was her name, and her name was Lola.
This is the only kind of dog I was not afraid of, I have had a long history of being terrified by dogs and the stuffed animal became mine instantly. It was like the beginning of a healing.

There was so much going on that Christmas; we thought we were not going to be able to purchase our home, which meant we would lose our 10% deposit and we would be houseless after Christmas. We decided to go to other cheaper state and started looking at houses opportunities there. Finally we spoke to our mortgage broker and she helped us to get in to our home without requiring any more money down. This was actually a better alternative that moving some other place.

Christmas went by that year without much activity and by the time March came, I found myself finally installed on our new house, sitting at the window of our library still worried for the financial situation, my husband now had a new job, and the little stuffed dog was now on my lap.
In a split second I was able to see myself, and thought how pathetic to be sitting down in my house petting a stuff animal. It was then, that I pray to God and said, Lord, I want the real thing; I would like a little Lola. Brian was game immediately! He loves dogs, I do too, but I was just afraid of them.

We went to this sad pet store and there we found a little Maltese, she was sweet and loved to be cuddled on Brian’s arms but we were not sure, so we went home to our normal business. I thought about this little dog all week, but “you cannot just purchase the first dog you ever see”, I thought, so the next weekend, we went to other pet stores and met other Maltese dogs. None was like that first one. My heart was feeling horrible, I thought, I found my little dog last week and I did not adopt her! I wondered if she was still there. We rushed at the dirty pet store we have been the week before and there she still was, our little Lola. We filled out all the adoption papers, the owner of the shop gave us some instructions and I asked her date of birth. December 24, 2001 he told us. God had a little dog for me for Christmas and this man had taken care of her for me for the first 3 months of her life. I was thankful to God for such a precious gift.

There is something special when you find meaningful dates associated with the most adventurous chapters of your life. There was another date when adopting my children that God used to show me His hand on the matter. The day my father died, my son David was being delivered by his birth mother. While I was crying the death of my father, the Lord was someplace far away, delivering a baby for me. Two years later we found each other. The only Russian boy I ever laid my eyes on was also the child that God prepared for me to adopt as my son. No medical report, or distance, no fears of the unknown, could make me scared enough to let him go. I laid my eyes on his picture and I knew he was my son, a gift from God.

Lola was with us for over 4 years before we came home with our adopted children. Lola taught me that adoption works. Your heart can leap for a little creature you did not delivered, or nurtured at birth and you can create bonds that are worth pursuing and enjoy. What I know about adoption, God started to teach me in a very small scale with Lola.

He knew that it would take a stuffed animal to let my heart open for a real little dog. And it would take a little dog to open my heart to the idea of adoption. That’s why Lola is so special to my heart.

God used her to prepare me to accept His miracle of Adoption in my heart.

Weekend activities with Mami and Papi

David, Julia, mami and papi had a very busy weekend around town. Saturday we spent all day at the art institute celebrating earth day.

Then, Sunday afternoon, we went to the Botanical gardens in Miami beach to run some. Some of the children expressions were so cute! You can see the whole album in facebook, you have to be my friend to be able to see them.

Spring cleaning starts with stirring some dirt

Julia and David went to Home Depot today and chose some herbs and went for a ride in a “big truck”. David tried all the herbs before buying “delicious mami” This is their side of the story: “We helped mami and papi to make the garden and then we dug and put the plants on the pots and then put water on it, and took more sand and then we prayed for the plants to grow”.

That was an easy recipe for family filled fun. We might adventure to tomatoes or vegetables next time.

Click here if you want to see the album at www.scrapblog.com I just created. Or if you are my friend en facebook you will see it on my profile (Rebeca Segebre Knowles)

Afterwards, papi prepared some water with limes and mint ... after so much work and sweat, it just tasted delicious!

Julia and David went outside after eating dinner and went right to the herb garden “Look Julia, amazing its growing!” now they are playing with the dirt – that’s going to be the challenge now.
We are proud to tell you we just planted an herb garden. Invitation pending for meal prepared fresher.

Growing fast

Yesterday in church they showed us the end of the movie Schindler's list – it spoke to me about the impact of adoption. “To save one human soul is to save the world”. It amazes me the Divine in adoption. Anyone touched by adoption cannot stay the same. It is like redemption. You go from point A to point B and it does not make sense unless something happen in the middle. David and Julia are sleeping in the room next to mine and 3 years ago they were sleeping in an orphanage across the ocean … how do you explain that? Well, it took a process, steps, money, sacrifice, lot of people helping, but really the work is called redemption.
They grow up too fast. My little ones are learning to write and read and I am loving it.