Back in the States

Yes, I successfully made it back to the good ol' U.S. of A. yesterday. I'm taking it a bit easy today by doing some laundry, school work (yep, grad school starts back today), knitting, and planning for my trip out of town for the Friends and Fiberworks Summer Retreat where I will be vending. In the wee hours of Saturday morning (Romania time) I was struck with a truly nasty bout of food poisoning. I don't remember ever being so sick before. At one point I actually wanted to die. Like, truly would have gladly gone to meet my maker than to spend one more minute in such agony. So I'm still getting over that. Which sucks because I'm pretty hungry and yet nothing sits quite right with me. All that to say I'm enjoying staying close to home today and not really exerting myself.

I will share more about the trip over the next week or so here on the blog and on the Eastern European and Russian Orphanages Project blog but I just want to say: the need is great. These are children who need love and clothing and a hug and a place to call home and enough food to actually give them body fat. These children need out but are stuck due to stupid laws and blind politicians. But that doesn't mean they are without hope. Which is why whatever you can do to help is much needed and much appreciated. A pair of socks might not seem like much but for a child who lives in a dormitory without heat and wears plastic shoes year round then socks help keep him warm and healthy when the snow starts to fall. A washcloth might not be a big deal to you but to a child who baths from a bucket that means they can actually scrub clean some of the dirt from their face. A bib doesn't look like much but to an abandoned baby it keeps the one outfit they get a day clean during feeding time. So do what you can. Make something beautiful and give it away. Visit a children's home in your state and play games for a couple of hours. Donate your unwanted clothing. Skip the latte and send your change to a children's relief agency. Advocate and be a voice for the voiceless. Whatever you do don't turn a blind eye. Because if not for the grace of God you could be the one on the other side of the orphanage fence.

Even if you aren't religious I encourage you to watch this video from my church. The statistics alone are enough to move me to action.