Just Do You – Bonus Post with Download

Just do you – bonus post with download!

I wanted to leave you with some positive thoughts while I’m gone for the first few weeks of December, and in that timely way that the Universe does, a friend sent me this list of “Things to Remember” (see below).

I also made it into a PDF (here: Things to Remember) so that you can pull up and print off to read it each day. (It now lives beside my computer at work, along with a beautiful Mark Nepo poem I might share someday…)

It was an email, forwarded through workstations around the world, and sadly I do not know who to credit for this list. However, these are great things to remember and I feel that in sharing them the author will be rewarded with the love it evoked within me and within you as well 🙂

There are so many great points to remember on this list, and all of them resonate with me on a level that makes my heart go “YES!”, but my favourite among them is this very simple one: Continue reading

Off the grid

Off the grid…! From Tuesday 3 December until Thursday 12 December I will be off the technological communication grid! There will be no tweets, no likes, no posts, no blasts, no emails, no texts, no phone calls. It’s my birthday … Continue reading

What could you achieve in 10 years if you started today?

It’s been a whirlwind week and I apologize for the lack of posts on the usual topic of impending adoption and parenthood.

However, if you will humour me – I have spent an inordinate amount of time this week thinking about the topic of my heading.

What could you achieve in 10 years if you started today?

Gaining Citizenship last week was an incredible feat for me. It is the first thing in my entire life that I’ve really wanted to achieve and followed through on the achieving of it – even though it took a long time.

It’s the first time I have ever set out with the hope of achieving something, kept my faith that I would achieve it, allowed people and situations to come into my life to help me achieve it, leapt forward with blind faith (sometimes pure arrogance) toward the goal even when the end was not in sight, filled in every form, took passport photo after passport photo as per the requirements, and showed extreme patience waiting for the end result.

And it paid off.

Here is a bit of a timeline on my Citizenship journey for interest: Continue reading

Adoption – Second Home Study

Expectant Mother – Adoption Journey Series… The Second Home Study Full-disclosure. Rape, Alcohol, Pot, Sexual History, Relationships… The second home study came a few weeks after the first, and I felt a little less nerve-wracked than the first time… but … Continue reading

Adoption – A Clean Slate

Expectant Mother – Adoption Journey Series… A Clean Slate I feel as though I’m seeing the world through new eyes, I’m noticing things around me that I never noticed before from the perspective of a parent, I’m delving into myself … Continue reading

Adoption – First Home Study

Expectant Mother – Adoption Journey Series…

On the very same day that I submitted my Questionnaire, I sent a follow up email to ensure Theresa received it.

Subject: Questionnaire complete
Hi Theresa,
I dropped off my questionnaire for you today.
Please let me know if you have any questions, or need any clarification. Sorry about all of the “extra columns” and additional notes/comments…hope that’s OK… I like to play outside of the lines a little!
It feels a little vulnerable to have filled that in and submitted it. Actually I can only imagine what picture forms from reading it…  I don’t feel uncomfortable about any of it myself, but from the outside looking in I realise it can appear “difficult”.
I’ll look forward to hearing from you, and look forward to the “next step” when it is ready to go ahead.
Ali

Theresa responded the same day and I appreciate that about her so much, she never left me hanging.

Thanks Ali…
I have reviewed the questionnaire already;  most people definitely feel as you do;  it’s a very vulnerable state to be in;  someone looking at your past and seeing its role in your present and future.  I have been through the process myself so I fully understand.
Believe me, there was nothing shocking.
So, next step is to start the home study process.
I would suggest meeting at your place some day after work or a day off;  I can be flexible.
Thinking maybe 1-1/5 hours…just as a guideline.
Take care

I was glad that there was nothing shocking in my questionnaire, and that she let me know she’d been through the process herself. That was helpful in allowing me to relax and have faith that she would not judge me because I had a sometimes unstable upbringing.

This was good news. Continue reading

O Canada

O Canada… our (my) home and native land,
True patriot love, in all thy sons command…

Today – I took and PASSED the Canadian Citizenship test!  🙂

In 3-5 months (!!) I will be invited to attend a Citizenship Ceremony where I will speak the oath, sign the register, sing O Canada (in English and French) and then officially become a Canadian citizen! <3 <3 <3

…With glowing hearts we see the rise, the True North (*) strong and free…

It’s been 10 incredible years since I first set foot on Canadian soil and felt like I’d finally found my home.

Thank you Canada and all of my beautiful Canadian friends (and family) for enveloping me in love and hope. I am so excited that I will get to call Canada home now for life.

No matter what, this is a great reminder – Never give up, never surrender! Oh wait, that’s from the movie Galaxy Quest!

I meant to say… Never, EVER, give up!

May the next 10 years be even more amazing than the last, I can hardly wait to find out what they will hold! May the love in my heart continue to grow and flow.

…From far and wide O Canada we stand on guard for thee,
God keep our land glorious and free,
O Canada we stand on guard for thee,
O Canada we stand on guard for thee!

I feel very proud today. <3

Warm smiles and Love,
Ali Jayne 🙂

Law of Attraction – Mystical Clarity @ 4am…

The Law of Attraction Series

Recently I had some bad news, devastating news even, and as I sat in that chair hearing the news, seeing the person’s mouth move, hearing the words, trying – struggling – to comprehend what they were saying and knowing that what they were saying was not at all who I was or what I was about, I wondered, “how will I turn this around?”

I felt sick to my stomach with the information I had been given, the judgments that had been placed on me. But I had no time to wallow, it all happened right before another meeting I had to attend to take minutes for a local community organisation.

Taking minutes was the distraction I needed and because it was the “after the event” meeting, it went long. Really long. By the time I got home I only had time to shower and go to bed – exhausted I slept, until around 4am when I woke…and remembered.

For a brief moment I panicked, scared that the whole world would come crashing down around me. With a deep breath I wouldn’t allow it – I would not allow someone else to define how I felt about myself. No way. Nor would I allow this information to take away the excited optimistic childlike self that I am most of the time. I had been on top of the world for months now, excited about the direction my life was taking, excited about the internal growth that went with the future I was imagining, and overjoyed to be on the path to becoming a parent. Continue reading

Adoption – First meeting with my social worker

Expectant Mother – Adoption Journey Series…

Theresa had given me her email address the night we met at the Adoption Information Session to get in contact with her about a follow up meeting, and I emailed her the very next day.

Hi Theresa,
Thank you for holding the information session yesterday evening.  And please thank Jennifer and Sally too.
As mentioned last night, I would like to explore adoption (and possibly foster care) and am interested in talking about the process and the next steps. If you have some time in the next few weeks to get together I would greatly appreciate it.
Here are the times I have free and I hope something will gel for  us both!

·         Monday 10 June
·         Monday/Tuesday 17 & 18 June
·         Friday 21 June (after 4pm)
·         Mon-Fri 24-28 June (after 4pm)
Please let me know if any of these times work for you.
In the meantime, I will have a look at the websites you highlighted.
Thank you again,
Ali

I am not certain if this is the way others do it, maybe other people just get the information, fill in the forms and be done with it.

I needed to discuss the paperwork, the process, get a feel for the social worker first and see if this was a process that I trusted and that I wanted to follow through. I wanted more information and guidance, but more than anything I wanted encouragement, support, and assurance.

This meeting was important to me. Continue reading