gims belated condolinses also. I missed that and i had wondered were you been
take best of care of you in this too.

You are all so encouraging and believe me it helps. I'm Gonna take a break and do my second favourite thing. I'm going fishing.

chick, if BWS is first, and fishing is second, where does that leave poker? HA!

Thanks for sharing your story. It's touching to hear what's so important in your life. I could feel your disappointment in your post. Darn. How long to you have to wait to begin again, another year?

gims, I'm grateful you found the note from your mom. Timing is everything. Aren't you glad you hung onto it?

chatty, I find it amazing that she didn't get dementia until after her story was written. Again, timing.

jabber, as an doptive mom, I always appreciate hearing anything you have to say about adoption.

Oh she has had the dementa coming on for quite sometime now Dotsie, but some days its worse than others. In fact I am the one who pointed it out to her friend/caregiver. She hadn't noticed the little things. I wasn't with her as much so noticed those small tell tale signs when I was around her. I saw them yesterday and Ruth seemed fine, her old self, but one never knows from one day to the next, heck with dementa not knowing from one minute to the next is more accurate.

As far as her story if it hadn't been for ALL of her diaries and journals and newspaper clippings and the stuff she did remember I could have never written her story. I never spent so much time on the computer and telephone researching. Plus she was a camera buff and took thousands of pictures of all the historical items and times. Most were lost at sea when a ship sank but she still have tons. Her life story is nothing less than amazing.

Chatty,
I agree. A person's heart shows in their eyes. Love shines through the eyes like a lighthouse beacon.

chick,
I understand now. I love the idea that you play poker. I enjoy
cards so much. Not good enough at it to earn a living, but playing cards relaxes me. I wish I knew someone around here
who liked cards. The couple we used to spend evenings with at
cards, have both gone to be with The Lord.

gims,
Perhaps many offspring wish they had treated mom and dad a little more tenderly, with more respect and obedience.

Dots,
Wish I knew then, what I know now. I'm sorry I didn't appreciate
or understand their sacrifice, when I receive it. God bless
all adoptive parents!

Dotsie,
I saw a news clip where the singer, Madonna, was trying to adopt another child, and other couples were following her lead. Bio mom leaves innate footprints on a child's personality. But when an adoptee mature's, they come to understand bio mom's humanness and adoptive mom's giving via her compassionate heart. It takes a while for kids to get over abandonment, regardless of circumstances. That's a sore spot, which is hard to heal. IMO!

Dots,
Whatever country Madonna was in, they wouldn't let her adopt
another child from there. Good grief. I think that rots.

I heard that it was becasue she didn't have residency. Did she acquire residency for the first child? Seems odd.

I'm guessing she'll move on to another country.

I read that they decided to invoke their residency rule this time around, which they shouldn't have waived in the first place. The proposed adoption made me uneasy no matter how noble Madonna's intentions might be because there are close relatives who are not happy with it. Surely people would want a win-win situation rather than have it seem like some rich lady came and stole your granddaughter. There are other countries and children who are real orphans; let's hope she finds one of them.

You're right about the residency rule, Ellemm. And also about
the fact that a youngster should not be taken from their family,
if they have family. But there must be children without any
living relatives, who Madonna could adopt. Geese. It doesn't seem
like any child of hers would lack for anything.