Going Home for Good!!

February 9, 2012

 Rocky

 All of our paperwork was done yesterday and I am headed home early today. We had to wake up this morning at 3 am to catch our flight. Our driver, Jania,  is unemployed and now works nights trying to earn some extra money for his family. As he wisked us out of the city of Kyiv, in the dark wee hours of the morning, we were pulled over by the police. Jania said that this is a common practice here at this time of night. Anyone who is driving around at 3 in the morning, is likely to be up to no good. I felt bad for the police who were standing around in sub zero temperatures performing this patrol.

 During our trip to the airport we also saw many girls dressed up in coats and high heeled boots trying to hitch a ride. I felt awful that they were also out late at night, in below zero weather, trying to earn some money. The kids and I pray for these people of Ukraine every night and hope that they will have a better life in the future. It seems to me that the corruption there has stifled the economy and is hampering progress.

I’m now flying on a Lufthansa jumbo jet at 36,000 feet…on my way home with my new daughter and son. Before coming back to Ukraine to pick them up, I have to admit that I had a few thoughts about going through the process of raising two children again. Having kids is great, but being a parent…well, you definitely have to make some sacrifices. However, after spending the last two weeks with these children while here in Ukraine, I have to say that I am really happy they are with me and I am getting more out of this experience than they are.

It is heartwarming to see the love and compassion they have inside… coming out, day by day.  As they feel loved by parents and become more self-confident, the positive qualities they possess have really shined here in Ukraine.  There were many instances where they showed kindness and an appreciation for others around them.  I was surprised when they began to console the friends they were leaving behind at the orphanage …children who currently have no families. It was touching. Roman and Natasha wrote great thank you letters to the people who worked in Ukraine to make their adoption possible. And during our visit to the Embassy, there was a family from Texas that had two toddlers with Downs (they are adopting them, God bless them, I don’t know how they can do it). The toddlers were cranky and fussy while they had to wait for over an hour on their paperwork. Natalia went over to the children and kept them entertained. By coincidence, this family was on the flight with us to Munich. Roman offered to carry their bags and Natalia entertained the babies again during the waiting periods. It was very nice to see that at 12 and14 years of age, they were thinking of others. I feel so blessed that God has given me the opportunity to improve their lives and to give me two more children to love. I have to tell you that every step of this long process has been worth it and it has made me a better person. I know they will be a wonderful addition to the already great kids we have. I encourage anyone thinking of going through this journey to take the first step.

While we were at the Embassy, we were invited to a very rare meeting with the American Ambassador, John Taft. I’ve never met an Ambassador before, so it was fun. He spoke with us and a few other families and it was nice for the kids to meet him.