It has been a while since i wrote about writing. Actually it has been a while since i actually wrote! Period.
My brain has been trying (keyword here) to get into gear because in 30 days is the crazy yet much-loved time of the year… Nanowrimo!
So i have a choice this year… i can do a new story or i can do a complete rewrite of an existing story (which is in dire need of a rewrite).
i had a look at both story ideas and then realised that my characters’ names suck! One of the stories (the rewrite one) already has named characters but i’m not happy with the names. The other one has characters’ names such as Main Character 01, Bad Person 2, Husband etc…
Names are very important to me. They need to mean something. They need to tell or at least give a sense of who the character is. Of course, i know names and the feelings they evoke in people are subjective. But it doesn’t stop me obsessing over them… sometimes… :p
i found this useful article (see link below) and the most amusing idea, which i might just use, is the one where you use Google Maps to find character names 😉 Have a read.
As you can tell from that previous post, i really imagine Heather having a most fantastic time with a sibling; a sibling who will love her, care for her and look out for her best interests. A brother or sister who would encourage her and be her cheerleader.
But what i did not cover in that post is how Heather might impact or change the life of that sibling. In the video below, Ashley, who has a sister with Down Syndrome and whose family will be adopting a special needs child, covers that wonderfully.
Before you watch the video Ashley made, i want you to hold a few phrases in your head while you watch the video. Notice when and about whom these words describe.
i remember meeting a little girl with Down Syndrome myself, when i was a little girl. She was the niece of my Uncle’s wife. i only met her a couple of times but what i do remember is her smile and her readiness to accept people for who they are, just as they are. i have the picture in my mind of her so gently stroking my face.
What Ashley says of her sister is what my lovely Heather will bring to the family who adopts her. She will show that unconditional love. She will not be a burden but a joy and a blessing.
Maybe as you consider whether or not you could be Heather‘s family, you also worry about the children already in your family.
In the video, at about the 7.5 minute mark, Ashley answers the question whether or not she will find it a burden to take care of her sibling for the rest of her life, should the need arises.
This is what she says: “I would not want her to go to anyone else but me.”
Sure there was fear and uncertainty at the beginning of her relationship with her special needs sibling. Which relationship was not filled with doubts at the very start? But with time, that all went away, and what replaced it was love, true sisterly love.
A love i pray and hope with all my heart that my dear little Heather will get to experience.
My lovely Heather is perfectly healthy except for that extra chromosome which gives her that extra portion of sweetness. She needs a family. She should not be growing up in an institution or orphanage. She should be hugged and held by a loving mother and a caring father. She should be playing with siblings who love her to bits.
Are you her family? If there is a tugging at your heart, please don’t ignore it. Contact Reece’s Rainbow to find out more about Heather and about adopting her.
This month, September, is my lovely Heather‘s birthday month. She is 11. This is my 4th post for her special month. i pray and hope that these posts have made an impact; that you now know my little Heather and care for her.
Do continue to pray for Heather‘s daily needs and most of all, pray for her forever family to find her.
Do also donate to Heather‘s adoption grant. A bigger grant would hopefully get her more notice and bring her closer to finding a family. Click on her name or picture to get to her profile page where there is a Donate button. If you do make a donation, please leave a comment below so i can get in touch and send you a thank-you gift.
i leave you with Ashley’s words about her sister who has Down Syndrome : “She is my sunshine on a cloudy day.”
i hope and pray that one day my sweet Heather would also be able to express herself and tell us about her day at school, her dream job and talk about her friends.
But my lovely Heather would only be able to do that if she has the same educational opportunities as Melissa and the only way that Heather can have the same prospects is outside of her home country.
This is a recent photo – a bit over a month ago… she needs her family to come for her today…
She is an orphan. She is a special needs orphan. Without a loving family, she will not get the resources to enable her to have a future like Melissa does.
Reece’s Rainbow is the advocate website which lists special needs orphans, helps get them exposure which hopefully, prayerfully will bring their forever family to them.
i am doing my best to help Heather get attention too. This month, September, is her birthday month. (We don’t know exactly which day.) So i am writing a post dedicated to her every Monday in September. This is my third post. (See here for 2nd post and 1st post.)
So i’m asking again, please join me in praying for little Heather. Praying that she will be given the opportunities which Melissa has. Pray that her forever family will find her and bring her home quickly. Pray that her daily needs to be met while she is at her orphanage.
If you are considering adoption at all, please do consider my little Heather. (Click on her name or picture to read more about her on her profile page.) Or contact Reece’s Rainbow to find out more about adopting her.
Do contribute to her adoption grant (Click on her name or picture to get to her profile page where she has a donate button), which is very small at the moment. A larger adoption grant would increase her chances of being noticed. It would also help her forever family reach her faster. Please donate, every little bit helps.
If you do contribute to Heather‘s adoption grant, please leave a comment below with your email address so that i can send you a little Thank You (hand-crafted) gift.
trippingdifferently 