PORTER FOUND HIS FAMILY!

There has been quite a lapse in posting due to a cross country move over the summer (Baltimore to Seattle...phew!) and so I regret that I have taken so long to share that PORTER HAS A FAMILY!

The family rescuing this sweet little boy is the Eriksen family.  I am beyond excited for both them and for Porter and I have been in touch with them on how I can best support their efforts. I will be posting updates here, but also please check out their blog and follow their journey. They are close to traveling but still need our support to bring Porter home.

SO EXCITING.

Year of Yoga X2- Update

I wanted to give an update of my second Year of Yoga. It's going great! Making a commitment to do yoga 6 days a week for a year is such a blessing to me. Lately, there are things by which it would be easy to get overwhelmed. When I get down, I tell myself- I'll deal with it on the mat.

This is especially helpful when I've spent some time thinking about Porter and the other orphans and the conditions in which they live- or anything in the world that seems negative and insurmountable. It is easy to get overwhelmed and down- so I remember that when I do my yoga, I can meditate and send positive energy in the direction that holds my concern. It's wonderful. As I do the poses I send that positive energy, pray, and know that every positive thing I do, no matter how small, makes a difference. I am so thankful for having this outlet, as it is so easy to stay emotionally down once you're there- or to go even lower- yoga is my 'reset' button and pulls me back up to a much more positive place.

Actually, thinking about it, yoga itself is a good teacher that every positive action, no matter how small, makes a difference. Any yoga, no matter how short the practice or how 'easy' the pose, makes a positive impact on your body and your life. I am thankful for the lessons it teaches me.

Namaste.

Flight Platform Living: Orphanage 50 Picture Updates

The below blog is written by Jane from Flight Platform Living (she's the one who also visited Porter's orphanage) and highlights several children from Orphanage 50, children she was lucky enough to get to spend time with on her recent visit.
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Flight Platform Living: Orphanage 50 Picture Updates...Just Saying!

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All the faces are darling and so deserving of loving families, but the one that struck me the most is Evan. The description says that he is a 'gentle soul'.

Can't you just see that from the picture? What a wonderful soul this child has- you can tell that his spirit would be such a blessing to any family- despite all the daunting medical issues. Today's post is in honor of Evan. Please pray that he finds a family to love him before he gets sent to the institution. No innocent soul deserves to be shut up in an institution, but his especially seems to need to be out in the world. Such gentleness would be such a blessing to the world. Someone bring him out into the world.

A Glimpse Into Porter's World

While on the Reese's Rainbow group on Facebook, I stumbled upon the best thing ever. TWO best things ever actually. At least to me anyway.  I found the blogs of two people blogging from the region and orphanage where Porter lives. They were actually there at the time I found their blogs!- so in real time, I got to see and read about their visits to the place where my little Porter lives.

So there are two awesome things about that. The first awesome thing, is that the posts are about another little girl in Porter's orphanage being adopted. There is one less orphan in the world TODAY! The other awesome thing...is that I got to live vicariously through Lora and Jane to visit Porter's orphanage.

So. Wonderful.

I would of course love to get an update on Porter and see an updated picture, as the one that's on the site looks like he's about two years old when he will be seven in August, but if I can't have that, reading these blogs was SOOOOOOO the next best thing! :)

Here are the links to the blogs, but over the next few days I will link to specific posts.


Lora's blog (Vi's new mommy!)
Jane's blog (Vi's Reece's Rainbow warrior who was with Lora in Vi's country for part of the adoption)

Year of Yoga X2

I finished my Year Of Yoga back on October 31st, it was a wonderful experience. Trying not to 'mess up a streak' made me practice when I didn't feel like it, when I didn't think I had time, or when I wanted to do something else instead- and it was invaluable.

I cannot tell you how much it affected me for the better during that year. It was like my 'reset' button everyday. If I was grumpy, I was less so afterward. If I was anxious, I was calmer afterward. If I was happy, I was happier afterward.

For full disclosure I must mention, my year of practicing was not perfect, there were days that were totally busy and I completely forgot that I hadn't practiced that day until it was 11 and I was lying in my bed almost asleep- but there weren't too many of those, and when one is doing yoga 6 days per week all year long...even with mistakes, there is much accomplishment.

After I finished the year on October 31st, 2011, I took a break. I think it's important when you push yourself to accomplish something, that you give yourself rest afterward so you don't burn out. I felt that I was in danger of that, so I took a break for November. Then in December, I decided that I would get back into it, but not as a 'have to' thing, just as a normal exercise during the week.

Well...I can't be trusted to do things that are good for me I guess unless I have some kind of goal I have to meet. Even though I enjoy it, even though I know how amazingly beneficial it is for both my body and my mood, even though it only takes 20-30 minutes of my time, there were too many days that I just didn't get to it.

SO...because this is going to be another big year and I need all the help I can get to cope with the uncertainty and change, I decided last Sunday to do another Year of Yoga. Six days a week for a year. I will finish up next year in January. Already I can see what a giant difference having a goal I'm trying to reach makes. This week I made time every day of the six. I just made time. I guess goals are what I need.

I feel so much better today after six days of practice. Better in body than I have in two months.

As I do this Year of Yoga, I will continue to dedicate my practice to Porter from Reeces Rainbow. He doesn't have a family yet, so I continue to pray for him and send love to him as I complete my practice every day.

Please join me in another Year of Yoga for Porter and all special needs orphans.

Wonderful!

Porter's grant keeps going up! I check in with his page on Reece's Rainbow almost every day, to look at his little face and say a prayer for him; and was thrilled to find, about a week ago, that his grant had gone up! Well I just checked in today, and it has gone up again! He now has more than $300 in his adoption grant!

I do not know who donated, but I thank you. Thank you for supporting little Porter and helping him get closer to a family. I do not know if you are one person or a few people, but I am sending out my heartfelt thanks to you.

I have not met this little boy, but I love him all the same, and I hope and pray that his family finds him soon.

Thank you so much, donor(s), for also caring about this sweet little boy.

Wishes and Wondering

Little Porter. I go to his page everyday to look at his sweet face and to pray for him. I wish I could adopt him myself for sure, but since that is not presently realistic, I pray daily for his family to find him.

One other thing I wish for is an updated picture. In this picture he looks to be around two...? Not sure, but my son is two and a half and it looks like this picture is from a similar age. However, Porter is already five years old, so I hope the orphanage sends updated pictures soon. I wonder what he looks like now, how he's doing, what are his favorite games? Toys?

Orphanages vary greatly, and I pray that his is a good one. That the caretakers truly care for the children and that each child feels some love from someone.

I also hope that somehow Porter feels the love being sent to him by me and his other sponsors from far away. I don't think that love just disappears into the universe when you send it out, so I hope when it's sent out there, it makes it all the way over the ocean and into little Porter's heart.

These are my wishes for this precious child.