Inspiring

This has been a week full of inspiration. First, I started reading a book called Soul Stories. It is a pretty easy read, but is just one of those books that helps remind you of your core values and encourages you to live by them. Next, I was invited to go to a special luncheon that was a fund-raising event for the local AAUW chapter. I am the recipient of one of the scholarships they sponsor, so go to say thank you to all the generous donors. That was special because I found out that many of the people there who are contributors to the fund are also friends of mine from church and some of my old teachers! The most amazing part, however, was hearing the guest speakers. Paula Huntley wrote a book called The Hemingway Book Club of Kosovo which is basically the publication of a journal that she kept during a year's time spent with her husband living and working in Kosovo following the Serbian genocide of ethnic Albanians in Kosovo and the U.S. intervention that stopped the war. At the luncheon she spoke about women and their role in Kosavar society and the need to continue to support the education of women and girls and to empower them and honor their contributions. With her at the luncheon was a young woman who Paula had met while in Kosovo (she was the younger sister of one of Paula's students) and now both the young woman and her brother have had the opportunity to study in the U.S. The stories were very moving and very inspiring. If you haven't read the book, I encourage you to do so~ the world is such a big place, but we are all a part of it and we all are connected in so many ways whether we know it or not.
Lastly, I was inspired this evening by my son. I've been debating about when/ how to tell him that two new foster children may be coming into our home. I really hoped he would have an accepting attitude, but I just didn't know what his reaction would be. To my delight, the second I said "two new foster kids might be coming to us" a big smile spread across his face and lit up his eyes. I told him that if they came, he would have to share his bedroom and he was like, "okay, I'm fine with that." He was excited about the idea of having bunk beds in his room. What a little sweetheart. It is so wonderful to see in him the same feeling that I have in my heart... the same reaction the my husband had... when children need a home, the answer is YES!
We know they will bless us, we know that they will be our teachers, we know how good it feels when you have more people to love.