Buzzards, Bats, and Bumblebees

Sometimes when you are knee deep in paperwork and fighting the battle of the home study, one forgets that babies do actually live in Russia. And better yet..... Babies come home from Russia with adoptive parents! Imagine that, what a concept!

I've recently found some great blogs of parents that have brought home such adorable children from Russia. Check out Jackie's blog "Step by Step: Our Journey to Adopt from Russia" Here is the link..... you can even lay eyes on their precious son! http://stepbystep2russia.blogspot.com/
Or http://threegirlsandarussianboy.blogspot.com/. They have a great "blog roll" of other links to adoptive Russian parents! Wow! Real families!

Sometimes we forget to look up. When we are "in the trenches" it is so easy to focus our eyes on what's right in front of us, we forget to have joy, peace, and hope for what lies ahead of us. Someone sent me a great e-mail this week about buzzards, bats, and bumblebees. Here it is.....

THE BUZZARD: If you put a buzzard in a pen that is 6 feet by 8 feet and is entirely open at the top, the bird, in spite of its ability to fly, will be an absolute prisoner. The reason is that a buzzard always begins a flight from the ground with a run of 10 to 12 feet. Without space to run, as is its habit, it will not even attempt to fly, but will remain a prisoner for life in a small jail with no top.

THE BAT: The ordinary bat that flies around at night, a remarkable nimble creature in the air, cannot take off from a level place. If it is placed on the floor or flat ground, all it can do is shuffle about helplessly and, no doubt, painfully, until it reaches some slight elevation from which it can throw itself into the air. Then, at once, it takes off like a flash.

THE BUMBLEBEE: A bumblebee, if dropped into an open tumbler, will be there until it dies, unless it is taken out. It never sees the means of escape at the top, but persists in trying to find some way out through the sides near the bottom. It will seek a way where none exists, until it completely destroys itself.

PEOPLE: In many ways, we are like the buzzard, the bat, and the bumblebee. We struggle about with all our problems and frustrations, never realizing that all we have to do is look up! That's the answer, the escape route and the solution to any problem! Just look up. Sorrow looks back, Worry looks around, But faith looks up! Live simply, love generously, care deeply, speak kindly and trust in our Creator who loves us is directly in front of us.