Saturday, August 16, 2008
Just found this blog by my sweet friends Mark and Ashley Gangloff. Its about Mark’s olympic experience in Beijing. It was so fun (and amazing) to watch him swim. Can’t wait to catch up with them stateside!
So, so proud of you Mark!! WAR EAGLE!
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Cesar Cielo
Holy Moley! He WON, he really, really WON!!
Never before have I been all that interested in the olympics. . .until now that is. Surprisingly to me, the little town I now call home (Auburn, AL), is also home to many olympians, including Cesar Cielo whose swimming performance last night earned him the title of “the fastest man in the world.” WOW.
I must say, actually knowing people that are competing totally changes the olympic experience. Last night after Cesar’s victory, my friend Steve (muti-time NCAA diving champion) sent me a text message that began, “My roommate won the gold metal in the 50!” What?!! It is so crazy to even think about the athletic prowess that surrounds me in Auburn. To think that the same people who I go to bbq’s and tailgates with are also some of the best athletes on the planet. How does that happen? I think the general sentiment coming from our little town in Alabama is that we couldn’t be more excited for Cesar or for the other Auburn athletes that are competing. What an amazing accomplishment. WAR EAGLE!
In an effort to keep my mind occupied on things other than waiting on adoption paperwork, I’ve taken to traveling. So far it’s been great. I headed home for a few days for my cousin Jimmy’s wedding and then came back to Auburn for a day to pack before heading to LA to spend some time with my cousin Elliott and meet up with some amazing Linda’s. Linda #1 is an eco-designer who is up there on my list of most amazing people I’ve ever met. Linda #2 is a marketer whose client list is like a dream team of major companies. After LA I headed down to Sunny San Diego for a few days to attend the American Marketing Association’s annual conference, go to the zoo, and catch up with some precious DC friends.
Then I headed back to Auburn for a day to meet all the new MBAs before heading up to Boston to give a presentation about my master’s research at the American Psychological Association. Other than being surrounded WAY too many therapists, it was a good time. Malcolm Gladwell spoke at the opening last night and was a breath of fresh air following a political tirade by Patrick Kennedy who was accepting an award for his father Ted. It was definitely one of those moments where I wish there had been an orchestra to start playing and clue him in that he should probably stop talking (think Oscar’s). Anyway, I’m still here in bean town visiting another set of sweet friends before I have to head back to Auburn and start the semester.
About a year and a half ago, I began exploring and questioning the fundamental tenants of my Christian faith. I realized that although I believed in God, the Bible, and especially the redemptive message of Jesus Christ, I failed to make the connections of these beliefs to my everyday existence. Essentially I was living a moral, safe life. I tried to love well, but never truly stretched my capacity to love beyond my family, friends, and acquaintances. My career and life goals were for the most part, centered on Western consumerist ideology and I never thought about the implications of my lifestyle upon the rest of the world . . . until last spring.
The fundamental difference between what I wanted to believe and what I was learning in through this period of exploration was found in the Sermon on the Mount. I wanted to believe that I was a good Christian person who was an actively engaged member of my society, but realized that the only facet of my life where I was actively engaged in anything was my contribution to the American economy.
As I realized this, and began to understand and believe that God made me for something bigger than my checkbook, I also began to discover that my desire for adoption was bigger than just a nesting instinct. Through this time, I primarily focused on the passage of Scripture known as the Beatitudes and I began to understand and believe that God was calling me to do something extraordinary. He was calling me to be a mother, but more than that, He was calling me to be a mother to the motherless.
Through a series of events, I decided to pursue an international adoption. I did not have to think very hard about what region of the world I wanted to adopt from. After a 2001 experience in Southern Africa, and a continued interest in the people from that region of the world, I knew right away that I wanted to adopt from an African country. Ethiopia emerged as the best option both in terms of geography and availability of infants.
There are many reasons that I want to adopt a child. Some are as simple as having a strong desire to mother and nurture while others are much more complex and involve personal conviction and what I believe is a call from God. Through this blog I hope to narrate my journey into motherhood.
