Monday, July 30, 2012

Commitment: A Story of Rascal

First of all, let me just say THANK YOU to those of you who have reached out to us about the situation in Jamaica.  We have been able to dig around a little more and are basically faced with the reality that NO adoption agencies in the U.S. facilitate adoptions from Jamaica.  L  If we were to pursue the little girls in Jamaica, it would involve going about it independently (new paperwork, hire attorney, wait for the girls to be “paper ready” to adopt, travel to Jamaica, etc).  We are not closing the door on this option, but honestly it terrifies us. 
We will have to wait and see what God leads us to do.  Continued prayers are VERY appreciated!

On another note- - let me catch you all up on what’s been keeping us busy the past several days….  This is a story of our cat, Rascal…




Last Tuesday evening, Rascal urinated on the bathroom rug.  (yuck!)  I freaked out to say the least and googled why he might have done such a thing.  After my “research” I concluded that he probably had a Urinary Tract Infection, considering he had no other symptoms.  The next day, I took him to the vet “real quick”.  I assumed that they’d check him out, give us a little pill for the UTI and we’d be on our way. 
(How silly of me to think it was going to be so simple.)
During his check-up, the vet wanted to do a urinalysis (I didn’t ask how they got a urine sample from my kitty…. Shew.  I don’t want to think about that).  After a few short moments, she came back into the room and said with a smile, “Do you want the good news or bad news first?”  I was like- - “whaaaaaat??.. uhm…. Bad news?”  She said, “Rascal is diabetic.”  It felt like my mouth dropped to the floor.  “And the good news?”  She smiled again, “He doesn’t have a UTI?”
She apologized for always having to give me “information overload” when I come in (refer to earlier posts about Zoe and her big vet ordeal).  She said, “I know you and your husband would not fall into this category because you all seem to be very dedicated pet owners, but a lot of times when people hear that their cats are diabetic, they choose to put them to sleep because of the level of commitment it requires.”
Again- - I was like- - “whaaaaaaat?!”  My sweet, sweet, Rascal!!  He was completely himself, just had a little accident on the bathroom rug!  He’s FINE!!  Right?!?!
Oh, and we all know Rascal is a chunk.  EVERY TIME we take him to the vet I ask if he’s obese, if he’s okay, etc.  I’m always told, “Oh, Rascal’s just a big cat.”  So I asked Mrs. Vet….. “Is this because Rascal is fat?? Because…”  She cut me off and smiled and said, “No,… not necessarily.  It’s mainly his diet.  Dry food is all carbohydrates.  So it converts to sugar.  That’s the problem.”
WHY didn’t they tell me this sooner?!?!?!  Grrrrrr…..
Anyway, after my millions of questions about what this really meant, she informed me that he needed to stay overnight, begin insulin shots, she needed to monitor him every 2 hours to make sure his blood sugar didn’t get “dangerously” low- (meaning lethargy, seizures, etc), he needed to start eating only soft/canned food and we would have to start giving Rascal insulin shots twice a day!!  
She said there was no alternative treatment for our sweet kitty.
Long story a little shorter:  I left and called Erik.  Through my tears, I gave him the news.  Immediately we started making calls and doing a little research.  Well, guess what?  There is a holistic vet in our area and he recommends a raw food diet to reverse the diabetes and some supplements too. 
So….. guess what?  We picked Rascal up from the vet a couple hours later and have decided to try raw foods and supplements to try to reverse the diabetes.  We’ll take him back to check his blood sugar in 2-3 weeks to see if we’re making progress.
So far, Rascal is enjoying his raw diet.  I forget that my sweet kitty is a carnivore.  Mrs. Vet thinks we are committed to our pets??....  She has no idea.  J
Commitment is this:  Pureeing raw turkey and mixed veggies for your cat’s food. 

He’s so worth it.    

Monday, July 23, 2012

The Run Around

A few days ago my cousin told us about 2 little girls that need to be adopted in Jamaica.  They’re sisters- - one is 4 years old and the other is 18 months.  After hearing only a few details about the sweet little girls and their living conditions, we had no doubt to pursue this potential situation.
Unfortunately our adoption agency does not facilitate adoptions from Jamaica.  They referred us to a government website to get information on adoption laws in Jamaica.  After calling several toll-free numbers from the site and leaving voicemails with no returned calls, I decided to call other adoption agencies to try to get some guidance.  A couple of agencies were really sweet and helpful but it still did not result in concrete answers that we desperately need.
One lady said that she thought after we get our home study updated to meet the international requirements, we would have to send it directly to the Jamaican court system and deal with them on our own.  I told her that made me nervous and she kind of chuckled and said that adoption in Jamaica is just different.
I called a couple of different immigration offices in Jamaica to try to get some answers about where to start but got zero answers.  One lady hung up on me (gasp!) and another referred me to the Jamaica Family Court office but the number was disconnected.  (sighhh)
After making 9 different phone calls today and feeling like each one was a door slammed in my face, I put my phone down and just cried.  And cried.
Everyone I spoke to seemed so nonchalant.  It’s so infuriating to me.  I am calling about 2 precious little girls that need to be adopted.  They do not have running water, they have 1 meal a day at best and are learning to steal and/or beg in order to have their needs met.  And I’m getting the RUN AROUND when simply trying to find out how to go about adopting these little girls?! 
Everyone says adoption is not for the faint of heart.  Well, …. Amen. 
I can’t stop thinking about those sweet little girls.  My heart is so broken.  Please pray for them and their birthmother…….. and for us.
"The Lord is close to the brokenhearted, and he saves those whose spirits have been crushed."  ~Psalm 34:18 NCV
"Learn to do right; seek justice.  Defend the oppressed.  Take up the cause of the fatherless;  plead the case of the widow."  ~Isaiah 1:17 NIV

Thursday, July 19, 2012

Why??

When we are facing any type of disappointment, struggle, heartache, etc, we tend to ask, “Why are we having to go through this?”  or “Why me?!” or “Haven’t we suffered or WAITED long enough?!”


Well, my friends….  My brother had an excellent lesson last night at church and part of it was a beautiful reminder from I Peter.  Peter answers our questions of “why?!” so clearly.


“..Now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.  These have come SO THAT the proven genuineness of your faith…may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.  I Peter 1:6-7 NIV


Isn’t that so encouraging?!  We suffer all kinds of trials SO THAT we can prove that our faith is strong in the LORD!  


I refuse to dwell on why it seems like others don’t have to “prove” their faith.  Because they do.  Maybe not at the same time as I do, or even around the same situation as I do….  But we all face moments when we have to prove where our faith is planted.  And what an honor, right?  After all that He's done and continues to do for me?! 


There is no better place to firmly plant your faith than in the Lord. 


“All people are like the grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field. The grass dies and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord will live forever."  Isaiah 40:6–8 NCV