Chewbacca Lady

 

 

If you spend any time on the Internet, I have no doubt that you have seen the now famous Chewbacca Mask video, of a lady unboxing her mask and laughing hysterically.  I'll admit, I didn't see it until today - but apparently the video went uber viral, and a gazillion people have seen it.  Did it make ME laugh ?  Yes !!  Who wouldn't laugh along with her - she looks like an absolutely wonderful woman, and it was good, clean, fun.  Since her little video, she has become an overnight success, and no doubt is truly enjoying her new found fame.  Her name is Candace Payne - and I wish her the best in everything she does !
 

 

The reason I mention her and Chewbacca, though, is a little something she said right at the end of her video - "It's the simple joys..."   It really is - it's the little things in this life that make it so wonderful.  For Candace, on that particular day, it was seeing herself wearing a Star Wars mask.  On any other day, it would be something completely different (though I do believe that Candace finds joy in many many little things !).  What do YOU see joy in every day ?

 What little thing makes YOU happy ?  It could be anything - waking up in the morning and hearing the rain on the window - or waking up and seeing the sun shine through the window.. 

It could be the sight of your children getting off the school bus - or, maybe, seeing them get ON the bus in the morning ?  It could be the smell of a tiny infant - or a flower - or the earth after a thunderstorm. 

 Maybe coffee. Or donuts. 

 It could be hearing your favorite song on the radio - or talking to a friend - or the giggle of a child. 

There are so many big things in this life that keep us occupied - our jobs, the mortgage, all the bills, the car that broke down, the groceries that need buying, the politics constantly in the media, the tragedies around the world - sometimes those big things just seem so, so overwhelming, that we let the little things pass us by. 

Sometimes, we just don't stop to smell the roses - we don't appreciate the wonderful things in our lives, the things right under our noses. 

Take a moment, right now, and think about what is most important in your life right now.  What gives you pleasure more than anything else ??

Do you think about possessions - stuff - material things ?

Is it your house, your car, the latest gadget ?

Or do you think about the people in your life ?

Your family and friends are, surely, the most important things in your life.

If you have children, I would imagine that they are the ones that give you the greatest pleasure in life. Children - whether your own, or others you spend time with - truly know how to appreciate the simple joys in life.

Every day is a day of discovery for children - they see more, experience more, feel more - every single day.  Show an adult a puddle, and they'll walk around it or over it.  Show a child a puddle, and they will spend a crazy amount of time jumping, splashing, laughing and basically thinking that that puddle is the best thing ever.  Having said that - if you watch THIS video, you will see a child (my son several years ago) and an adult (my mum) enjoying jumping in puddles together ! 

I was a childcare provider for 14 years, and saw children enjoy the simple joys every single day.  There was always something to discover, whether it was a puddle, a bug, a flower, a new toy - or a new way of playing with an old toy - whatever it is, there is nothing better than seeing life through the eyes of a child.

 

 

Children need to explore, to touch, to smell, to see, to experience life in order to grow.

They need to be able to move around, to feel the wind in their hair and the rain on their heads.

Children need these things as much as they need the air that they breath and the food that they eat.

Children need to experience the simple joys, for that, after all, is what childhood is all about - the simple joys of a mother's hug, of hearing "I love you", of just being a child.

 

 

 

 

The children pictured above - and many, many more, were abandoned by their families because they were unable to care for them.  In many countries, children with special needs are more of a burden than a blessing, and families are encouraged to give them up rather than try and raise them. There are few resources, so the children do not receive therapies or education.

 

Children who spend their lives in a crib, or in an orphanage - or, worse, an institution - don't get to experience the simple joys in life.  They may never get to catch raindrops in their hands, or feel the grass beneath their feet.  They may never get to play with a baby doll, or a toy car or teddy bear.  They may never touch cold snow, wibbly jello or rough bark on a tree.  They may never be hugged, or kissed or just gently touched by a loving hand.

 

These kids need OUT.

They need families.

They need homes.

They need love.

 

They need the chance to laugh hysterically at something - anything - just like Chewbacca mom - they need the freedom to be themselves, to be children, and to enjoy the simple joys of life.

 

Please SEE these children - these older children who are, first and foremost, still kids, ready to experience life outside of the four walls they live in.

 

To read more about the international adoption of children with special needs, please check out Reece's Rainbow.

 

ALL OLDER CHILDREN LISTED WITH REECE'S RAINBOW OVER THE AGE OF 10 YEARS ARE ELIGIBLE FOR A $10,000 ADOPTION GRANT !!!!!

 

For more information - and to donate to the Older Child Grant Pool, please go HERE for children with Down Syndrome, and HERE for children with other special needs. 

 

Please do whatever you can to get these kids seen, so they can find their families and start enjoying the simple joys in this wonderful world of ours !!!