Yipee! Three new Nineras start tomorrow!

  Since the end of January we have been under staffed. Today we hired three new nannies that will start tomorrow! What a blessing!

It's all about Him

People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered.  Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives.  Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies.  Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and sincere, people may deceive you.  Be honest and sincere anyway.

What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight.  Create anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous.  Be happy anyway.

The good you do today will often be forgotten.  Do good anyway.

Give the best you have, and it will never be enough.  Give your best anyway.

In the final analysis, it is between you and God.  It was never between you and them anyway.

(attributed to Mother Teresa)

God's Love

  I spent some time this weekend with the kids. I marvel at the love that I feel for them. They are not my own babies, but a handful of them have deep ties to my heart. I try not to play favorites, but it is hard not to  naturally gravitate towards some.   Tony, Haroldo and Katerina are my natural favorites. 
  If I can have these strong feelings and emotions after just a few years with them, I can't imagine how much our Father in Heaven loves each of us. His love and patience for us is truly amazing. Thank you God!

Another day... another adventure...

  I flew in Thursday night and plugged back in the past two days. I just helped carry a 24 year old Carlos from the outside play are to the infirmary. He had a pretty bad convulsion and was really out of it.  I have not written much about convulsions because they are very sad and disturbing.  The kid feels really drained and weakened after the episode. It is even harder when it is one of the kids you are closer to and know better. About one quarter of our population suffers from convulsions.  In theory, when properly medicated they should not be convulsing. I know that in the States they use precise electroshock therapies and even surgery in extreme cases. Apparently, each time a person has a convulsion they have some brain cells that die.

  I have been working on walking with Haroldo and Roberta. Both can take some steps with help to balance. Haroldo is doing far better and can make progress with just one hand for balance. He had an operation on his tendons and can flatten his foot, but he still lists significantly to the left.  Roberta has good strength for remaining standing, but lacks the stimulus in her brain to want to propel herself forward. The effect of autism, low intelligence and a lifetime of institutionalized care. She waits for the world to come to her.

  There is progress on some of the macro issues. We still have many needs and challenges, but more than anything we need to bring the joy and love of  Jesus to each of the kids.

How to find a bottom

How to find a bottom

---

A prevailing theory in the treatment of alcoholism or drug abuse is that the patient cannot be successfully treated until they have reached a "bottom." Many family members and friends often think the patient has raced past a bottom long before the patient themselves recognize a bottom that they truly accept as sufficient. Many treatment centers, legal systems and therapists try to change the patient’s perception of where their bottom really is. It is anybody's guess as to how successful these initiatives are. Perhaps in the next life God will explain precisely how He orchestrates the final bottom. For the time being the topic will continue to be debated and compelling anecdotes will sway most of us to one side or the other.

Finding a bottom is a metaphor for much of life. How bad does anything have to be before we decide to take action? For some, the first glimpse of pain and off they go to the doctor. For the stoics amongst us they often wait far too long thinking a symptom will rapidly pass. Sometimes they find out that they waited too long and what would have been a treatable cancer is now inoperable and fatal. Organizations too can be dysfunctional and looking for a bottom. Actually, the very definition of an Organization is dysfunctional! An organization can be defined as anything that has two or more people. In other words, once you have your second employee, teammate, club member or whatever, you start down the road to dysfunction.

So how low can you go? How bad does it have to be before you change? How bad does it have to be before you leave the affiliation? How bad does it have to be before the various stakeholders scream, "Enough!?” This is a mystery to each of us and can ebb and flow with age and circumstance.

There is only one bottom that really matters. Christ paid the price with his crucifixion on the cross. That was a low that none of us could endure. His sacrifice was perfect and his blood covers all our sins and transgressions. In prayer and dialogue with God each of us can determine what a bottom means to us in our lives. Only with His guidance will we know what He has in mind for us. Only He can tell us when an organization has become too dysfunctional. Only He can guide us to make good decisions that challenge the status quo and how to help people more than hurt them when we need to pull the ripcord.

May the Lord bless your contemplative time and guide you through your wilderness.

How to lift children without hurting your back

 It's something that many of us take for granted- our backs.  When our kids were babies we lifted them easily. When they grew they started to walk. The kids here may never walk or even assist with their physical movements.  They are growing and getting heavy.

Today Carmen Marie and her  Physical Therapy Student Interns offered employees a class on how to lift and move the children without getting hurt.   We will have similar classes each day this week.

God is good...  All the time!

Where is God???

  Why he is right here..... 

I wrote this paragraph in this note to my old friend Ellis Moss. We started High School together
42 years ago.  We went to study in Spain together when Francisco Franco was still alive and in power.

"Thanks for the kind words on the work we do here. It's not really us, but Him. It is such a Blessing to work with and love on these kids. These handicapped abandoned kids are so loving and full of God's Grace.   When I look into the eyes of the ones that are unable to speak I know that He is there and he loves me (and you too!!)     As always it's the adults and the bureaucrats that are the challenge....."