Who are you gonna be? (long and scattered)

"What do YOU want to be when you grow up?"

When asked this at 5 or 6 most kids respond with. "I want to be a doctor, an astronaut, a police officer or a firefighter" But those are the dreams of the past, what we thought we were gonna be.

Now when asked this question we have more realistic jobs picked out like I want to be a teacher, or a part-time nurse, or a photographer.
Today one of my very dear friends asked me this same question in which I responded to in a flash. This is what I told her, "I want to be a special needs preschool teacher specializing in down syndrome and Prader Willi, deafness and blindness. I also want to adopt. and be the best mom I can be. :) And I want to help with local charitys and such, i want to sponsor people on reecesrainbow.com"
Thats exactly what I told her.
She responded with "You're so awesome :)
I want to be a social worker I think either dealing with little kids in bad situations and getting them out or with dealing with adoption. Placing kids with families and all of that kind of stuff. Giving kids to families that arent able to have their own."
 I told her "You are way more amazing than me!"
She responded, "How So?"
And then I told her, "she just was"
She then went on and said "Well I think you are pretty amazing. You're so driven and mature and beautiful inside and out and have an awesome love for god and your family.....it's great to see!"

That made me really happy, you dont even know. :)
You may be wondering "Why in the world is she posting this?"
But it's for a reason... I want to challenge you to work towards your goals, to be what you want to be and not what this world wants you to be. I am going to work towards my goal. I have been since i could remember. I was taught to never give up, keep on perservering through the hard times, even though you just want to lay there curled up in a ball, crying. How is that going to change anything? How are we going to change this world we live in? How are we going to sit back and let these things in this world happen? Truth is, we can't, we can't just sit here and watch and read about children dying, or not being able to go home with there families. Can we do something? Yes, we can. We can donate, give up your morning coffee or weekly trip to the fast food place. If we can't donate there's nothing more powerful then praying to the most high, God!
I mean really people, did we forget who gave us America? Did we forget who loved us before? Did we loose the very faith and trust he planted in us? I know it's hard to stick by God, but, by all means, we have to! If we don't then we will never see the joy and happiness he has planned for us. Maybe you are supposed to adopt NOW, or maybe you are supposed to wait. But if God has told you something you are to act now! "Don't wait for the 'perfect' moment live in the NOW!" Thats what a very smart youth pastor once told me.
This Spring Break really got me thinking, why was I hiding? Hiding who I really was, from the people at school. This is a matter of eternal life with Jesus in heaven, or death in hell. My friends, the very people who I adore and trust, Don't know Him or maybe they do, whether or not I'm supposed to start the fire, or fan the flames, I am where I am right now to DO SOMETHING! Not be hooked on for the 'Joy ride' not sit back and watch the people I say I love perish, if I don't tell them, maybe they'll never know, maybe they WILL perish.
Same as these orphans.... They WILL perish if not given a voice, if not shown to this world.
But your mind fills with 'what-ifs'. What if he isnt accepted? What if we dont have the finances? What if we can't do it? What if? What if? What if? What if? I'm SICK of it! I know I'm not perfect, I know that I have what-if moments, but This Spring break i realized, I kinda went back to my roots, i got away from this horrid world filled with, Hate, Self-doubt, Selfishness. Anyways this post got really long and scattered I'm sorry but I just had a bunch of feelings i had to get out.

I hope that some how some one reads this and actually picks something up from it. :)
"If we say we love God but do nothing on behalf of the world's vulnerable children, we're kidding ourselves; we're ignorant and misinformed. You cannot love God without developing a passion for orphans."

Kay Warren

Please keep Christopher's and Masha's family in your prayers!
And I am an Easter Warrior for Emory, so if you have any fundraising Ideas, let me know!
Thank you so much! Keep this boy and this family in your prayers!
LOVE THEM LIKE JESUS!

Happy World Down Syndrome Day 2011!!!

Discrimination.

Discrimination.

treatment or consideration of, or making a distinction in favor of or against, a person or thing based on the group, class, or category to which that person or thing belongs rather than on individual merit: racial and religious intolerance and discrimination.

 

People don't realize it, but most people discriminate against my little brother and the others blessed to be like him. Yes, I used the word blessed! While you guys use the words 'retard or retarted' as slang for STUPID or DUMB but these little blessings are not.

I know some people think I'm crazy, or overreacting. But while you sit there and you use these words or crack 'wise' jokes about some one, or referring to a movie as retarded, it is painful. It's like you are taking steak knives and stabbing them into my ears, like sharp cold ice in my stomach. You might not understand, but many people do, to name a few there's Taylah, Ashley, Patti, Adeye , Heather,and many others, so many that it would be an entire post.

I encounter people who use the r-word every day at school, oh you don't know how much I want to take them all aside and tell them the pain they cause daily, to ME!

Like my friend once told me, "You can be in a crowd and the one thing that you hear, is that word."

I totally agree, I walk through the halls and I hear it all around me....

Here is something I personally don't understand. (I don't do this)  Why is it that when you say, "Oh because he's Mexican.." Or when you use a homophobic remark such as, "That's sooo Gay!" You get yelled at by fifty different people, but when some one says "Oh that's so (I hate this word) retarded, or you're a retard..." Nothing usually happens the day pass by and the person just continues to use the r-word every single sentence she uses.

Well, folks that's why we're here to educate people, to let the world know! TO SPREAD THE WORD to end the WORD!

This mean boy once told a girl I know, "At least I don't have a disability!" She acted like it was nothing, shook it off, because she must get that alot, but when I looked at her I saw hurt, pain, longing. I can tell she wants to be like everyone else, she wants to be able to learn. She is Autistic. She is a Junior in High School. She is HUMAN. And quite frankly, She deserves to be treated like one! Not like something you scraped off the bottom of your shoe!

Today on the bathroom stall in my locker room, I read, "They are not 'others'. They are US." it was etched into the wall for everyone to see. This little phrase meant something to some one, whether or not its about the same thing, it means something. And for me it means. People who are 'different' are the same as us.

I will end this long but MEANINGFUL post on that.

And the fact that a wise elephant once said, "A person's a person no matter how small!"

Love THEM like Jesus!!!!

Amanda

Cake Truffle Give Away for Emory.

Hey Everyone!
I just wanted to let you all know that we have a wonderful couple raising money for sweet Emory boy.
Please visit their blog!
Emory needs all the help he can get!
HE NEEDS A FAMILY!
Visit my bloggie friend's blog at http://thyandlin.blogspot.com/2011/03/cake-truffle-giveaway-for-emory-meet.html
For the CAKE TRUFFLE GIVEAWAY!

PLEASE DONATE!

Thank you!
Let's love Emory Like Jesus!
Amanda

Constance.

My mom met this sweet angel back in November while on her first trip to see Josiah.
I instantly fell in love with this precious, once I saw her picture.

See this sweet face? My parents recieved the news when they went on their second trip for court for my little brother, that sweet, princess Constance, WILL be transferred to the institution in APRIL!!
Yes, I said April, 3 short weeks, the same time my brother will be coming home, this Angel WILL be transferred. Do you understand what that means? She will spend endless nights and days in a crib. ALONE

Can you see that happening to this sweet Lovie? She NEEDS a Mommy and Daddy! PLEASE IF YOU HAVE A FACEBOOK POST HER PICTURE ON YOUR WALL, POST IT ON YOUR BLOG! LETS GET THE WORD AROUND! LET'S SAVE THIS SUNSHINE!!!!!! We have 3 WEEKS!
My friend Ashley is planning a Give Away on her blog on the 21st, World Down Syndrome day, and Ashley's birthday.

LET'S LOVE THEM LIKE JESUS, AND GIVE CONSTANCE A FAMILY!
"Adopting one child does not change the world, but for that one child the world will change."
Amanda.