Do you see what I see?

Oh gosh... my heart is heavy today. I have been thinking a lot about my girls... this is nothing new ;). BUT today especially, little Tavi is on my heart.

Now those of you who have had the pleasure of watching her videos know that she is unaware that she has "special needs". :) Yet I know that once out of the orphanage, the world will make sure that she knows it. And I can't help but wonder, how will this affect her?

If her daddy and I have anything to say about it, not to mention her brothers and sisters... it won't affect her negatively at all. Just ask my mom and dad, and they will tell you that one of my least favorite phrases is "You can't do that!"... ha, ha... "JUST WATCH ME!" How I pray that we can pass this "attitude" on to Tavi John!

Have you ever wondered what it is like to be placed at birth into a severely sensory deprived environment, only to have it compounded by the fact that you are lacking ONE OF THE MAIN SENSES??? The fact that ANY of these little ones who are blind survive attests to their strength and maybe more so to the compassion and grace of God! How can we let them "fight to survive", only to have them lose in the end?

I was looking through Reeces Rainbow today and there are currently 11 children listed who are blind, and 3 listed with vision impairments. 1 of these little ones listed has Down syndrome, and a couple of others have other special needs as well. But most of them do not have OTHER special needs, just the fact that they are blind seals their fate of living out their life in an institution.

If I remember rightly, in the last 3 years only 1 child with blindess, and one with limited site has been adopted from RR. My Tavi will make number 3. SERIOUSLY??? How can being blind have such a stigma attached to it? I know that many families are looking to be matched with a child with minor or correctable special needs... if not just a completely healthy child.

I will tell you this... Tavi IS completely healthy!!! So she is blind. BIG DEAL. She will be able to have a job, get married, raise children, and live independently as an adult. She will most likely rebel in her teenage years, as most teenagers do. And she will bring an immense amount of JOY to her father and I as we are blessed to be her parents as she grows to adulthood! It is my prayer that she will be a MIGHTY WARRIOR of GOD and a blessing to her husband and children.

You know, neither John nor I have known an individual who was blind. Were we intimidated at first with the idea of adopting a child who was blind? Yes... and then again NO. God called us to be her parents, and that was good enough for us. To be able to be the one to help open up her world... words can not describe how I feel about that. Let me just say my mind won't stop thinking of things I want her to experience... the biggest of which is the unconditional love of a family and what it means to be a Princess of The King!

Today, I see 14 children listed on Reeces Rainbow under the age of 5! Today, I see 14 children who will most likely pass away before ever knowing the unconditional love of a family. Today, I see 14 children born blind, not good enough to be someones son or daughter. And today, I see 14 children, who desperately need someone brave enough to say "YES, SEND ME LORD!" They are children first, they are human beings, they are so darned full of potential!!!





***These children are all in Ukraine, Bulgaria, or Russia! Please contact me if you want more information. kelly9mayden "at" yahoo "dot" com. Or visit the Reeces Rainbow link above. :)