Russia Adoption

Sasha’s Thoughts: The Perfect Medicine – Идеальное лекарство

So, I have been sick for three days this week. It is a fact of life that one must suffer sickness once in a while. This experience reminds me of the countless times my mama took me under her wing and nursed me back to health. There was one especially difficult time when I had the flu for almost 6 months. I was not exactly the healthiest child. As those of you might understand, children especially from the Former Soviet Union have very weak immune systems and struggled to regain the level of health that their American peers had. I was no exception. I remember getting Cactus Cooler and a really cute pink Barbie telephone toy that I used to call my mom for help with. It was so nice to know mama was only a few steps away from me at all times. Today, I am grateful for all the effort she took to keep me healthy.

So as I prepare to return to Russia in two weeks I prepare in my mind a list of all the advises mama gave to me over the years.

  1. Get some sleep even when you don’t want to!
  2. Drink fluids!
  3. Cuddle up with your favorite blankie or stuffed animal! On a side note it is never too childish to have a favorite blankie!
  4. Have a Cactus Cooler o1r a Coke for an upset stomach!
  5. And something that might be a little bit strange but Russians believe in COLD showers to help clear the cobwebs! It works!
  6. Tea with Lemon will then warm you right back up.

All in all, I know I have the best mother in the world. She fed me soup, read me stories about the Three Billy Goats Gruff to cheer me up and always had a warm hug for me when I needed it. It does make a difference to an orphan to have just one person to love them and give them sweet memories.

Thankfully yours
Саша

Sasha’s Thoughts: Family – Семья

Family is such a strong theme in today’s society. Has been for centuries. I for one do not wholeheartedly agree with the statement that Family are the people that gave birth to you. In reality, it is the people who have been there for you through thick and thin, pain and joy, success and failure. Nothing in this world can compare to the feeling of sharing your life with the people you care most about.

Let me tell you a little bit the word adopted in reference to families. It means to take into one’s family through legal means and raise as one’s own child. What a wonderful word! Yet, there is a negative connotation associated with adoptees like you and me. Throughout the ages, if one was not biologically related or partially biological there was no room in the home for them. Think of Cinderella. When the evil stepmother came into the picture, Cinderella was out. What a shame. The larger shame is that this stigma is still a very real concern for thousands upon thousands of orphans left in Russia as well as the rest of the world.

I want to tell you a different story about adoption. The story of two people who were so in love with God that they decided to take FIVE little Russian kids into their home out of the kindness of their hearts! So perhaps you can call me the trash and left overs of the people that gave birth to me, it is true, but the bigger brighter truth is that I was a gift from God to the couple I now call Pa and Ma. And they are my Family!

Humbly yours
Саша