Tuesday, November 29, 2011

“Once our eyes are opened, we can’t pretend we don’t know what to do. God, who weighs our hearts and keeps our souls, knows what we know, and holds us responsible to act.” -Proverbs 24:12



My major fundraising project for Quinten is winding down to a close.  At least 340.00+ has been raised through monetary donations, raffle sales and silent auction items.  Now we just have to wait for the final tallies from the home party sales reps to determine the final outcome.  I am also closing out my candle sales today and will tally those funds up as well.

This has been time consuming and lots of work, but I loved every minute of it.  My youngest son Liam even got in on the act by painting a picture of a Christmas tree and selling it for the very precise amount of 5.03.  When a close friend of mine bought it, he turned to me and asked for the money so I had to explain it all to him again but I think he gets it now!  :-)  Hoping I am planting a seed in him that will grow with time.

Now if only Quinten would find a family, this project would be complete!  Please join me in advocating for him and all the other orphans who are running out of time.

Also, if you have any thoughts or ideas on fundraising, please leave a comment below.  Ideas are always welcome!

Monday, November 14, 2011

Thine Own Worst Enemy

My fundraiser for little Quinten is now less than two weeks away and I've been consumed with planning, strategizing and researching.  I am by nature a list maker and an organizer, so I feel like I'm going full speed ahead and not doing too shabbily with the minute details of all this.

While I am extremely excited and passionate about my cause, I am also left to feel incredibly guilty.  Why do I feel this amazingly organized brain fails me when it comes to my own son?    Instead of following through on the "to do" lists for Conor, I stare at them, not knowing where to turn next, which "cure" might work for his Autism, what might help him communicate better.  I read about the myriad of treatments, supplements and diets and I stop dead in my tracks, plagued by indecisiveness, worry and doubt.  The "what ifs" torture me....what if they eventually do him more harm than good and on the other side....what if they would have helped him had I started him on them earlier??  A plethora of other moms seem to be certain of the paths they've chosen, while I sit here and feel paralyzed by indecision.  And yet, here I am organizing all sorts of fundraising activities for a poor soul I do not know and feeling like I am making steady progress (whether it will be a success or not, I do not know; I just know that with this project at least I move forward).

Maybe with Quinten at least there is only one clear goal for now.  To get him adopted and removed from the horrible possibility that he may be placed in a mental institution where he will likely die very young.  While with Conor, there are so many areas to work on, I just cannot find that one clear path to move forward on.  I realize there is no panacea, so I suppose I just need to be kinder to myself and do baby steps.

Any other moms out there feel this way??  How have you come to terms with the huge amount of research and therapy, etc. that needs to be done with your special needs child?

Monday, October 31, 2011

“When you do nothing, you feel overwhelmed and powerless. But when you get involved, you feel the sense of hope and accomplishment that comes from knowing you are working to make things better.”

As a wife to a terrific husband who has a demanding job, a mother to two little boys who are only 18 months apart, and an employee of two jobs (one rather time-consuming), you would think I have enough on my plate, right? But nooooo…..I keep adding to it for some unknown reason. However, when I looked into the face of a little two year old boy from Russia who has no home, no family to call his own and who faces each day living in an orphanage, I could not turn away. Working alongside Reece’s Rainbow (www.reecesrainbow.org), I have decided to become Quinten’s “Christmas Warrior” this year. The goal is to raise 1000.00 by 12/31/11 to put into his adoption fund, in the hopes it will encourage a family to adopt him and give him a permanent home. Please join me in donating and/or sharing his link so that he may hopefully have a chance at living the life he so richly deserves, warm, safe, and loved, in the arms of a family he can call his own. Thank you!