Synchronicities Abound

Until the "Orange Revolution" I'm not sure if I had ever truly thought about Ukraine. I knew of the city of Odessa on the Black Sea, vaguely conecting it to a plethora of unrelated bits of knowledge including Catherine the Great, Robert Ludlum and Frederick Forsyth spy novels and the site of mansion's and villa's of priveleged 19th century Russian's. So while Ukraine was not totally foreign to me, it wasn't a country that was top-of-mind.

I certainly didn't know anyone in Ukraine or anyone from Ukraine nor anyone going to Ukraine. In retrospect, I lived a pretty Ukraine-free life. However, in the words of Inspector Clouseau "not anymore".

Now my world is filled with all things Ukraine. I think about friends who live in Ukraine as easily as I think about my friends who live in my own city. I live in a dual time world where glancing at the clock not only informs me of where I am in my day, but simultaneously informs me of where just over 47 million Ukrainians are in their day. I spend more time reviewing what laws President Yushchenko has recently signed then I do in persuing what legislation President Bush may have recently enacted.

When we first decided that Alex was meant to be a part of our family and shared it with a few close friends I was astounded to find out that one of my closest friend's husband spoke Russian. Randy was amazed to recall that his good friend's wife spoke Russian. Little did we know that was just the beginning of God's great gifts of synchronicities. Then my mother mentioned that her long time business partner had recently married a lovely woman from..... yes, Ukraine. Or as a friend of mine said "of course."

My cousin's wife, a wonderful outgoing woman I have seen several times each year for the twenty years they have been married is planning to travel this summer to.... Ukraine. Her good friend that she has known for over a decade and who often visits my cousin and his wife works with orphanages in ... Ukraine. And prior to Alex's visit, when we needed a Russian speaking teacher to help us learn some basic language.... a Ukrainian born, Russian speaking, English teacher just happened to live in our same neighborhood.

Recently, Randy and I discussed our desires for Alex. We both want him to keep and improve his Russian. Studies show that continued use of the first language is of much benefit in the ability to transfer knowledge and gain additional knowledge in a second language. We want him to be fluent in both languages, truly bi-lingual, multi-cultural, a global citizen. We are also concerned that the inability to communicate in Russian during the first 6 months while he learns English will cause him frustration. The thought of being unable to really express oneself while in the midst of an experience as monumental as attaching to a new family, learning a new language, going to a new school and leaving everything and everyone you know is incomprehensible to me.

So, what is one to do? Well, Randy thought renting Spiderman 2 would be a good start. And synchronicities abound everywhere. Randy felt a little silly renting the movie and felt impelled to tell the young man behind the Blockbuster counter that he was watching it because it was one of the favorite movies of our soon to be adopted Russian speaking son who lived in Ukraine. "I speak Russian," said the broad shouldered, clean cut, just out of high school teenager. "Actually, I am Russian. I moved here when I was eight. If you need any help, let me know, I'd be glad to help."

Synchronicities abound. Wonders never cease.

Cynthia

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There Must Be Someone I Can Call?

Waiting is not my strong suit. In fact, anyone who knows me well, knows that I don't like to wait for anything. I strongly believe in my personal adage, "there must be someone we can call". Usually there is someone, a supervisor, a manager, a regional manager, a banker, a lawyer, a candlestick maker..... someone who has insight into the problem and the authority to make something happen, or they know who does have the authority. In this case thought, my modus operandi is useless. President Yushchenko is not taking my calls. Not that I've tried to call him. I've thought about it dozens of times. I 've perused his website and stared at the phone number for the Press Secretary, but in the end I've simply closed my Internet Browser, offered a prayer or petition to the powers that be and tried to affirm for the thousandth time "there is something good in this for me."

Is there something good in this for me or for us? I don't know and may never know. Perhaps the 30 degree below zero weather is causing road icing on the very road we would be using and thus we are missing involvement in an accident. Maybe someone, somewhere, needed the seats we had on hold to cross the Atlantic last week. Maybe 20 years from now, when we celebrate "Family Day" it will fall on a date of great meaning to us that it would not have coincided with otherwise. Who knows? Maybe this delay has no meaning other than..... it's a delay. Maybe it's one more lesson in the "new and improved Cynthia program" which has been on-going for the past two decades or more - I call it the program that rounds off my corners, making my wheels turn more easily , with less oil required and with a more pleasant sound.

No, there is no one to call. There is nothing I can do. This is not easy for me to accept. I believe in making things happen. I believe that anything is possible given enough desire and will. Give me a good strong "No" and I'm in my element. Ready to take on the naysayers and doubters. Ready to do that which can not be done.

Those with a psychological bent will most probably have various theories on my personality based on this information I'm so openly disclosing. Most probably the theory is nothing I haven't heard before. Depending on who is speaking, I've been called everything from "bull-headed" to "enthusiastic" to "passionate" to "commited to achievement" to "execution oriented". Another way to translate these comments is in a continuum between "no, you are not getting a raise this year" to "congratulations, we are promoting you and giving you a substantial raise."

However, this project I'm so passionately engaged in at the moment is not work related and no one is paying me for it. There is no "project plan" to follow, or any "go, no go" decisions to make. There is only me, my husband, a child thousands of miles away, and a President who may or may not sign a law that will allow this child to begin to call me "Mom."

If only there was someone I could call..... Instead, I'll pray.

Cynthia


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Waiting...... Just Waiting......

We are waiting. We are waiting to pack our suitcases. We are waiting to book our airline tickets. We are waiting to notify the house sitter. We are just waiting.........

We are waiting because the government of Ukraine changed the ministry under which the National Adoption Center (NAC) is authorized to operate. However, the new ministry will not be authorized to operate until May. Thus, the Ukrainian Parliment, RADA, drafted legislation allowing the current NAC to process the adoptions that were in process as well as those who had appointments with the NAC in January 2006.

Randy and I were scheduled to visit the NAC on January 19, 2006 so we are directly affected by this legislation. President Yushchenko has until this Friday, January 27th, to sign the legislation. It is apparently under legal review at the moment. So we are waiting to see if he signs this legislation and if and when he does sign it, we will then go into action and fly to Kiev.

Your prayers are requested. We are not the only family affected. There are many families currently in Kiev whose adoptions were halted midway through the process. There are many children in Ukraine who expected their Mama and Papa to be there by now to bring them home.

However, our hope is that the wait will be short and we will be allowed to continue forward with our adoption of Alex.

Until then we will wait.........

Airline Frequent Flyer Miles Needed!

Randy and I were originally invited by the Ukrainian government to visit the National Adoption Center to complete our adoption of Alex on January 19, 2006 and this is the date we have planned around for the last month. Unfortunately, due to a governmental change over of responsibility for the adoption process our date was canceled and we had to cancel our travel plans. Last minute travel plans throw a real wrench in the budget and as a result of the cancelation and reschedule we are looking for a way to make these new plans affordable.

Our new travel date is expected to be somewhere around January 30th. In order to defray the costs, we would like to use Delta travel miles to make our new reservations. However, our mileage balances are not sufficient. So we are looking for additional miles. If you have either American Express Points, Delta Travel Miles, (or secondarily KLM Travel Miles, Air France Travel Miles or Lufthansa Travel Miles) that you would like to donate to our effort we would be SO appreciative.

The miles can easily be transferred by calling the provider the miles currently reside with and asking them to transfer them to:

Cynthia Rennolds, Delta SkyMiles Number 2063614628 and/or
Randy Smith, Delta SkyMiles Number 2068701347

American Express Phone Number: 800-297-3276
Delta Phone Number: 800-323-2323

For those of you who may have miles you’d like to transfer to us, please know how much we appreciate the assistance.

Thank You, Cynthia and Randy

Soon.... Sweetheart.... We'll be with you soon.

Adopting from Ukraine is described as a walk of faith. A walk whereupon if you do not live in faith when you begin, you certainly will by the time you finish.

Luckily, I have lived in the shadow of God my entire life. I find that small space close to him to be the safest place I can be. Many of my friends, even those I've known for years or decades, do not know how deep my faith is.

I do not claim to be Christian or Saved, Hindu, Buddhist, Wicca, New Age, Evangelical or a member of any group for my faith does not reside in a church or a religion or a dogma or a creed or a ritual or a prayer. My faith resides in the small spark of light within me that I know connects me to the creator of all that is, all that has been and all that will ever be.

I don't fight the darkness or believe in attacks of evil. I simply enedeavour to remember to shine Gods light where darkness lies. My light often dims and my batteries run low. Often I just plain forget that I have access to a light that never fails and thus I fail to access this light.

I believe in the way of the Christ without having to believe or disbelieve in the literal veracity of any one version of historical events.

Many people fear for me, sure that I have not said the right words or given absolute loyalty to the right pledge and thus my soul lives in jeopardy. I do not worry about my soul. It has existed for all of time. I was, I am and always will be. Many people really fear for me when I speak of my belief in reincarnation or my surety that we aren't the only intelligent life form in the universe.

Whether the other life forms live here or somewhere else in this marvelous holographic universe that stretches infinitely as far as the eye can see, whether these life forms are dolphins (surely they qualify as intelligent life forms) or giant reptilian humanoids or small gray gumby like creatures or tall blonde-haired nordic warriors from far away skies, they too come from God and so their existence or lack thereof doesn't affect my spiritual views.

What does affect my spiritual views is the magnificence of the love, support and comraderie I have found these last few months as I have Searched for my Son. The synchronicities that have allowed my husband and me to complete our Dossier and submit it on the very day the Ukraine government decided to once again accept US Citizen submissions. The unintended networking which resulted in us finding a Ukraine facilitator we have total faith in, a Georgia HomeStudy Social Worker who is commited to submitting comprehensive homestudies in the shortest amount of time, an expert in the preparation of the Ukraine-required "Dossier", a complicated and daunting document, apostilles and all, in one weeks time*.

What do these three people have to do with my faith? I believe that my thoughts attract and when I shine the light of all that is my thoughts attract that which is positive and good and true and kind. If I had to manage the details of this adoptiion or my life I'd be mired in details and going in circles.

But there in the shadow of God, close enough that he stands between me and all else, I have only one task, to show up each day in a state of gratitude and do whatever seems to be the next right thing. All the details are handled by he who is all and lives in everything.

So today my gratitude stretches far and wide. I am grateful that the Parliment of Ukraine decided to continue to process adoptions until the new Ministry takes over in May. Yesterday our visit to Ukraine to adopt Alex was in doubt. Today it is not. I am grateful. Tonight in the hypnogogic state just prior to sleep I shall give thanks for the blessings of this day and ask that I be given yet another day in which to attempt to walk the path of faith and love.

I love you Alex. We will be in Ukraine very, very soon to bring you home. Do not worry my son, for your father and I hold you in our hearts and there is nothing, nothing we will not do to bring you home to us. Sleep tight, we'll be with you soon.

* Oleg Maryenko at ukradopt@yahoo.com, Kelly Barth at KB_elina@bellsouth.net, Tonya Boggs at tmb_aps@yahoo.com

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My world is a different place.

I have a son now – and the world is a different place.

Prior to Alex’s arrival I knew this would be an intense and emotional experience. The impact this young man had on me was huge and way beyond my expectations.

He is an amazing young man. He is strong in spirit, high in energy, and kind of heart. He is very smart and has a very playful sense of humor. He is quite athletic. He has a magnetic personality. He has an enthusiasm for life that is astounding and must be rewarded with all the opportunity I can provide him.

Alex has changed my life forever in two short weeks. He has also brought Cynthia and me closer together in new ways through this shared experience.

His visit seemed incredibly brief, but at the same time it was long enough for me to know he is and will always be my son.

It was incredibly difficult to see him go back to Odessa even temporarily. Now my main focus is brining him home so that we (Alex, Cynthia, and me) can continue our life journeys together as a family.

Please keep us in your prayers.

Randy

A Big Thank You

As a fiercely independent woman who remained unmarried until the 40th year of my life, I have little experience in asking others for assistance, emotional support, advice, solace or help. However, the reality of initiating a 2 week visitation with the goal of culminating in the adoption of one 10 about to turn 11 year old Russian speaking Ukrainian born boy taught me the meaning of reliance on others for assistance, help, support and faith. I am very lucky, for you as one of those I turned to during this time, came through for me in so many ways, requested and unrequested, large and small, to do for me those things I could not do by myself, turning these last 2 weeks with our soon-to-be-son into the best weeks of my life. How does one say thank you to those who participate in so great a gift?

I don’t know that I can thank you, or let you know what you mean to me. The gifts are so varied and often not even recognized by you - the givers as gifts. So for all the many ways you have individually been my friend I thank you for the parts you’ve played thus far. For the cookies baked, the papers processed, the words of comfort, the telephone calls, the translated discussions, the presents given, the time spent during a busy time of year, the offers of help made and followed up on, the letters written, the pictures emailed, the excitement shared, the experiences relayed, the faith revealed and renewed – for all these things and more I extend my profound appreciation for the part you play in my life as Randy and I take this exciting step into parenthood.

Alex had a grand time during his visit. I know this because I watched him regale his friend and translator with a 20 minute animated burst of Russian towards the end of his visit, punctuated by great smiles, large grins, and soulful pleadings along with the occasional word I recognized like Babushaka, Hummer, cookie sprinkles, Svetta, Chuck E Cheese, Vrrrmmm-Vrrrmmm, ploho aeroplane, cousins, fooootball, SonyPlayStation and of course, the internationally known MickeyD’s. Yes, Randy actually went to McDonald’s and ate dinner there – twice – during the time Alex was with us.

Alex did have to leave, and it saddened us all. Alex tried not to get up the morning of his departure. Randy looked mournful. I cried at the airport. But as it always does, that which is irrespective of individual wants, needs and desires – time, marched forward and he departed from Atlanta to return to Ukraine.

We know we will see him soon and when we do our time together will not end, for we will be bringing him home. And home it will be, for he has captured our hearts and found souls that resonate with his. He comes to us well formed – independent, intelligent, focused, determined, athletic, funny, fun-loving, capable – he has much talent. We will love him, nourish his soul as it continues to bloom, support his needs as he finds his talents and allow him to become that which he wishes to be.

I am ever so grateful to a loving God who answers our prayers and provides what we need, not what we ask for. I am ever so grateful to the spirit of the Universe which does for me that which I can not do for myself. I am grateful for the Christ which shows me the way of love and continually encourages me even when I am unable to follow his path. And I am grateful to you, my friends, on this journey through time and space which we call life. Thank you and may 2006 bring you much joy.