WHOA!

It struck me today, as it does from time to time, how unreal my life is. I have healthy children, a wonderful husband and work finding people new homes and training horses. I was out training horses today and brought Clepson along. Seeing the stables through his eyes made me stop and ponder. My average client has spent anywhere from $20,000 on up for a horse. They pay me hundreds a month in training and it costs them upwards of $400 a month to keep their horse stabled and fed.

Our horses are better fed than the average Haitian child. They get regular dental work and veterinary care. They have clean beds to sleep in and fresh, clean water. They wear special clothing to protect them from sun, cold, rain or flies. It is all a bit insane when you look at it form the outside in....

They have three horses at the Love a Child orphanage. Clepson said he sometimes gets to ride the horses.....but they kick and sometimes don't want to be ridden;) of course if I was a horse and 60 children wanted to ride me I might kick too! Clepson helped me brush the horses and watched while I rode my training horses and gave a lesson.

What Says the Doc

Clepson had his first meeting today w/ Doctor M. Doctor M dilated Clepson's eyes and gave him a thorough exam. Clepson has no vision in his bad eye and will have it enucleated on June 25. This is a VERY scary thing for Clepson and we could use all the prayer and support we can get! Clepson will be fitted for a prosthetic eye about four weeks after surgery. If all goes well he will be on track to return home in time for the start of school.

Clepson was very frightened before we met with the doctor. I don't know if he thought something might be done today. The eye dilation made vision in his good eye fuzzy and this seemed to scare Clepson too. It would be a very scary thing to have reduced vision when you only have vision in one eye to start with.

Clepson missed the other kids today when he was home alone with me. He spent time working on math work and french and riding the scooter outside. He is settling in pretty well and his behavior has been very normal preteen boy! What a wonderful job they have done at Love a Child! Clepson has wonderful manners and has not objected to helping Noah and Zoe with chores. He does seem very intrigued with television and video games, unfortunately we try to do as little gaming and tv as possible;)

Clepson tried pizza on the plane and wants to have it again soon. Mexican food was not a big hit for lunch, but he loves cold cereal and seemed to appreciate my attempt at Haitian beans and rice tonight. Clepson loves salad and turned down the cinnamon sugar chips served with his kids meal at lunch.

Clepson is HERE

After much anticipation and paperwork, Clepson has arrived. He is truely one of the "lucky" children in Haiti. He lives in a wonderful orphanage that stresses all of the skills he will need to be successful and happy in his life. Clepson lives at Love a Child orphange in Fond Parisian, Haiti. You can check out his home at www.loveachild.com. Clepson will return to the orphanage after his surgery and recovery time here in the U.S. He is provided a wonderful varied diet by Haitian standards and has been given an invaluable religious education. Clepson also attends school and will hopefully one day attend university either in Haiti or the U.S.

Clepson has a super doctor here in the U.S. who we shall call Dr. M. Dr. M has donated all of his time and skills to provide a lifechanging eye surgery for Clepson. Dr. M arranged with the local surgical center for them to donate the use of their facility at no charge. He went one step further to get a custom prosthetic eye donated. Not only will Clepson be out of pain for the first time after his surgery, he will look "normal". While the U.S. has made some strides in accepting people with disabilities, it is just not so in Haiti. Haitians are driven largely by superstition and fear and Clepson's eye has been viewed as a curse or sign of evil. More doors will be open in Clepson's future when he looks more normal.

I must say that lack of vision in his eye slows this little boy down not one bit! Clepson is a wonderful soccer player and bicycle rider and all boy. Clepson has spent much of his day today working on math skills (I have underestimated his level of work!) and has done a few pages in a french primer. A dear friend will be loaning us some kid appropriate novels in French and Clepson will spend at least an hour a day reading. My own kids are still in school and it is a house rule that no kids do anything "fun" while the others are in school. Once school is out of session Clepson will get more play time, but will still need to work on his Math and French skills. My own kids to 1/2 to 1 hour of math and at LEAST 1 hour of reading. Zoe loves to read and will read for hours if allowed!

I am sure Clepson thought that visiting the U.S. would be more fun, but I want him to learn while he is here and know how Blessed he is to live in such a wonderful home in Haiti.

We met with Clepson's doctor today and scheduled his surgery for June 24. His preop is one week earlier at which time he will find out in detail what his surgery entails. Please pray that he accepts that the loss of his eye is inevitable and will only improve his life!

Taking the Leap

Sometimes we need to take that leap. The big scary jump into the void of the unknown future. Setting things in motion can take a catalyst. Change is a frightening thing for me. I know that change can bring greater rewards, but being complacent with what I have is so COMFORTABLE. My sister took a big leap of faith last night. She decided to travel to meet the baby that had no passport. She got on the plane hoping and praying that someone could make the passport office give them the baby's passport today so that he could travel tomorrow. Some strong and devoted ladies took the sick baby to the passport office and literally fell to the floor and CRIED and BEGGED until someone would help them! The passport was provided and the baby will arrive in the U.S. tomorrow! Taking that first leap forward seems to be what was needed to inspire everyone to "step up the game" and get the job done. I can feel change coming for me too. Hold on ....... it may be a bumpy ride.

When Nobody Cares

The Medical Advocacy Team has been working for weeks to bring a baby born with Spina Bfida to the U.S. for life saving surgery. This small infant has been fighting to stay alive while he waits, and waits, and WAITS for his paperwork to be ready. A wonderful Doctor and hospital in the U.S. have donated for his care and a family waits to host him. BUT IT JUST DOESN"T MATTER---Today his caregiver in Haiti said that nobody cares if a baby dies in Haiti. It happens all the time. It just doesn't matter. Haitian governmental officials just don't care or feel any urgency in getting his passport done so his life can be saved. His father has only looked at him ONCE in the last week. He shook his head and WALKED AWAY. His father does not want to stay at the clinic with him. He is inconvenienced by having to help with getting the passport and Visa approval for his son to travel. This is inconceivable to me. How does an entire culture get to the place where this small life is of no value. Where throwing up roadblocks in the process is ok? I have always felt sorry for the adult population in Haiti. They have so little, they suffer so much. Maslow's Hierarchy of needs seems to explain it best. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maslow's_hierarchy_of_needs. Looking at it from a distance, it makes sense that a parent must have their needs for food, water and shelter met before they can move on to care for others. Emotionally my heart screams--HOW can a parent turn away from a child, HOW!!!

The Only Regret in Giving

When I intially pledged to donate 10% of my real estate earnings to charity, I felt that it would be a strain and that I might regret pledging to donate such a high percentage of what I make. My only regret thus far in living up to this pledge is that I don't have MORE to give. If I could make more money, I could GIVE more. The photo above is of my beloved goddaughter. She was abandoned as an infant and was left to die. Only with the determination, faith and huge donations of time and money from doctors and hospitals, and people who cared was she given a chance to live and thrive. My niece has given so much to those of us who have donated to make her life possible. She has shown us that miracles can happen!

Welcome 2009!

Welcome 2009! May it be a year of change and fellowship. 2008 was a year of stress, pain, sadness, and loss. 2008 saw the passing of my Grandmother, my dear Collie RyRy and the horse of a lifetime Easy. 2008 was a frustrating year that had me searching for meaning amid chaos. It taught me that being a Realtor is more about being a friend and advisor than being a business-person. It taught me that I love advocating for my clients when the doodoo hits the fan (those lawyer genes crop up every now and again!) It taught me not to be an idiot with my own safety and health. I am hoping that these lessons are now learned and 2009 will see me enjoying the rewards instead of learning the lessons ;)

First on my agenda for 2009 is being more involved with my children and DH. Being emotionally accessible to them and not exhausting myself to the point that I tune them out! Second is to take care of my health and wellness. This is still a learning process. Third is to put my own horses training first. He is no longer a baby and needs time and attention on a daily basis. Fourth is to continue to give wholeheartedly to my clients (horse and realty!) There is no other way for me to conduct a business!

Hopefully 2009 will actually bring Clepson, the boy we are hosting from Haiti, to our home for his eye surgery. Hopefully Berlange, a sweet baby in Haiti that my sister will host, will make it to Austin for lifesaving surgery in the next few days. Hopefully little baby Minky will live a happy life with her family in Haiti when she returns in a few weeks. These are my HOPES for 2009.