What I Owe To Others....

The Hanks Family - Feburary 2007 "Forever Family Day"

In the Eighth Grade, I had to write an autobiography for Mr. Douglas’ English class. Having already seen Jamie do this same project… I had two years to prepare and think ahead. There were several chapters… maybe ten or twelve in all. Some were about “What’s Important To Me”, “My Favorite Holiday”, “My Gang”, “Beautiful Places I have Visited”… and there was a chapter titled
“What I Owe To Others”. I saved my autobiography… and in high school when I was putting together my “Memory Book” I pasted a copy of that chapter in the front cover of my Memory Book. (It was my first crude attempt at scrapbooking… and Jana… when I say I pasted… grit your teeth, hold you breath, and steel yourself… I mean I used scotch tape, and Elmer’s Glue All… and lots of it. There is nothing acid or lignin free about this mess of a book… and the binding has literally BROKEN. It’s really scary.)

I pulled out my Memory Book just this past weekend… and I think you might find my thoughts from the Eighth Grade interesting:

What I Owe To Others
By Jennifer Schumacher

An anonymous writer once said, “I expect to pass through this world but once, any good, therefore, that I can do, or any kindness I can show to my fellowman, let me do it now; let me not put it off or neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again.”

I am not here by chance. I was conceived in love, trained through teaching, understanding and tender guidance by those around me.

My purpose for being is to grow physically, mentally and spiritually. That growth doesn’t come overnight, but is a never ending process. It has been directed by parents, teachers and friends who have taught me that without love, all else is nothing. They have directed my mind to learn, and have created within me the desire to persist.

With so many having an impact on my life, how can I neglect my responsibility to others? I must strive to be no less than the best, achieve my goals, and as I pass through this life, leave a heritage to be proud of.

These kind of assignments were fun. They made you think – but it wasn’t like the kind of thinking we had to do in Physics… which made me head hurt.

Why was I being so reflective this past week? There are SO many reasons… but the main reason is the Pampered Chef Fund Raising Event - beginning our journey to Bring Sara Home! It was so much more than just a Pampered Chef party… and it opened my eyes, yet again, to the wonderful people that we are blessed to have as family and friends.

I read over that little essay from 8th grade… and as immature and inexperienced as I was at the age of 12… part of that essay rings true to me even today. Growth doesn’t come overnight. It is impacted every day by those people around me… my family, my friends and my peers. There are so many of you that have had (and still have) a huge impact on my life… and I take my responsibility to you very seriously. I want to pass on a heritage to my children that we can all be proud of.

The Pampered Chef Fund Raising Event was a huge success. I have been amazed and overwhelmed by the love and support that has come from so many people. From people who had such an integral part in raising me and guiding my paths and life choices, to friends that I have met within the adoption community, to my dear friends from church and Bible Study… to friends I have made through other friends. I have been touched and moved by this outpouring of love and support. The encouraging words, the offers of prayers, the financial support… and the love to which each of you continues to show to my family and me, have quite literally moved me (and...Leigh) to tears. The Pampered Chef orders helped our family’s Fund Raising efforts by grossing us over $913 in total cash! Praise the Lord! In addition to the money raised from the Pampered Chef sales and raffle, we had many people that decided instead to send us love gifts to help bring Sara home. Those Love Gifts totaled $1,200. All in all, we were able to raise over $2,100 towards bringing Sara home. And it didn’t end there.

There aren’t enough words to express our gratitude to every person that helped in this endeavor. Tim and I have been moved to tears so many times, by so many acts of kindness. This kind of love for our family, and this kind of support, only strengthens our resolve that we are following the will of God.

We are so humbled and grateful to each and every person, each and every gift… each and every prayer.

To my wonderful and dear friend, Leigh Reed – Pampered Chef Super Woman… Thank you from the bottom of my heart. You are the kindest person – with a heart that is big and pure and sincere. It has been a joy getting to know you… and for having you on this journey with me. Who else would have driven to Sadieville to meet a guy named Tiny Tim? And who else would have laughed so hard with me – and also cried so many tears with me? You are an angel – and I am blessed to have you in my life.

As I have already said - we are so blessed to be surrounded by such wonderful friends. It is an awesome responsibility to know that there are so many people out there supporting our efforts. We want to do everything we can to make each of you proud of us - and to be good stewards of the gifts that God has entrusted us with. We are so grateful for a God that has directed our path thus far, and placed so many wonderful people with us along this journey. God is good, all the time. All the time He is good! Continue with us as we travel this journey – and please keep us in your prayers as we bring Sara home.

We thank you all - from the bottom of our hearts.

For those that didn’t make it to the party… I am trying to upload the video I showed that day. Please keep checking for that.

I love the song that Jamie used when making this video. It talks about finding the face of Jesus in a little orphan girl...then, it poses the question: "What Now - What will you do, now that you've found me? What now? What will you do with this treasure you've found?" (Stephen Curtis Chapman)

In the process of begining this journey of parenthood, our focus has certainly changed from just wanting children - to following God's will for our family... and making a difference in a child's life. I was reading my step-brother's web site. If you want to be inspired... I suggest you check it out. He is an awesome person - with such insight and ability to express his thoughts. (www.joeyclifton.com) On one of his recent posts he quoted Parker Palmer, a Quaker educator, who wrote, “Before you tell your life what you intend to do with it, listen for what it intends to do with you.” Tim and I had a plan for our lives. By that same token... God had a plan - and His way is always perfect. I wonder how many of us spend our lifetime trying to force OUR plan to work, rather than to listen to His plan?? I am glad that we finally opened our eyes and ears... and began to follow His perfect path.

So...What Now?