What Makes a Family?

Just very recently, i read a beautiful statement over at Make Something Beautiful:

What makes a family–a family??? Is it blood? Is it marriage? Is it friendships so strong…what is it exactly? Well, it can be a lot of different things that MAKE a family…and at the core of each of them–it’s always LOVE.

Yes it is indeed true. Love makes a family and a family is made to give love.

i have seen that so clearly as we have spent the last 10 years living away from our home country. We have made for ourselves a family here – the friends and neighbours we have come to know and love. And in the recent few years, the many international students we have had the privilege to befriend and sort of play host to. We have become their family – a family away from home. We care for each of them and do try to stay in touch and involved in their lives even after they leave because we love them; they have become family.

i have online families too. Most recently and most prominent at the moment is my RR (Reece’s Rainbow) family. i may never have and may never get to meet many of these families i pray for and these orphans i cry out for and all my fellow-advocates but they have become family. i love them and want the best for all of them.

i want the best for Sophia too, an orphan with Down Syndrome, living in an orphanage,  likely facing life in an adult mental institution as she has no family.

Sophia awaits the day she has a family to call her own.

Sophia was not chosen by her birth family to remain with them. Why? We may never know. But what is important is that this Christmas Sophia comes to know that love truly does make a family. She needs to be shown that people do care for her and love her. You and i can become the family she never gets to meet. You and i can pray for her; pray for her daily needs and for her forever family to come and bring her into the loving folds of a family. You and i can share her story so that her family might spot her sooner and come bring her home.

She has a virtual family member working hard for her now – her Angel Tree Warrior, working to raise awareness for her and to raise her adoption grant. Go over to My Journey Through Life and have a read.

You and i can also make a contribution to her adoption grant so that it would make her forever family’s journey to her easier. You can donate by clicking on her name or picture. If you make a contribution of US$35 or more, you will be given a lovely Christmas Ornament with Sophia‘s picture for your tree.

Do go over to Make Something Beautiful!: What makes a family? and read the very lovely post which inspired me.

Thank you.

syc

Nano 2012 Over…

Credit: http://nanotoons.net/
Credit: http://nanotoons.net/

Yep, today is the 1st of December… which means the 30 days of writing 50,000 words is over… Nanowrimo for 2012 is over…

So how did i do? Horribly!! 

i was unwell for a week or more in November which meant no words for those days and i just couldn’t get back into writing as much so that made catching up on wordcount difficult… very difficult… sigh!

i have had my worst wordcount in all my 5 years of taking part in Nanowrimo… officially i’m at 13,835 but i did write more on the last day but didn’t bother to update the wordcount… i have on file 15, 124 words…

Anyhow, it’s over… i still like the story (still to be finished) i wrote, i still like the characters so i will continue to write it but not just yet…

Here are some suggestions from The Write Practice about what to do after Nano

My favourite is:

3. Read

Speaking of things you missed out on during November, now that you’re not writing feverishly, why not read a book? Reading may spark new ideas for your novel or it may just be a good way to stay connected with your literary side.

The danger here is that you might compare your NaNoWriMo novel to what you’re reading and get discouraged. Don’t be afraid to read, but don’t feel the need to compare your work in progress to published literature.

So what are you doing in December?

syc

Don’t Give Up!

Ok this is a post that is more for myself than for an audience to read.

Today is the 15th day of November which marks the halfway point in Nanowrimo… which means i supposed to have 25,000 words by now and how many do i have?… ready for it…

English: The words Today I...
English: The words Today I… (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

A Grand Total of 9808 words… wow! Right… 😦

i have been knocked down by the routine tasks of life as a home manager as well as computer problems and now illness… my head feels heavy, my body feels achy and there is a mild throbbing pain at my temples… yep, i’m falling sick…

But i should not give up… must not give up… ahhh… need sleep…

i leave you to read this post Write With Fey: Don’t Give Up!.

My favourite line:

So yes, writing a book can be difficult, but don’t panic! Even if you get stuck or can’t seem to create content that you find worthy enough for your precious story, keep working on it and you’ll end up with something you’re happy with.

It is very encouraging. So read it, be encouraged and go on writing 😉

syc