This Month's Theme: NEW BEGINNINGS

Sorry I haven't been in contact for the past few months, but I hope you'll agree that the reason for the delay was a good one: Meet my new daughter...This extraordinary adoption took place in Salt Lake City after just a few months inquiring about the process with an Adoption Attorney. It all started when Lee, my husband, and I read an article in the San Diego newspaper about an extraordinary marine - Scott Southworth - who did the impossible: he adopted a child from Iraq, where international adoption is not legal. Not only that, he adopted a "special needs child." (See this month's Hero, below)

Scott's story both moved and inspired us. We had talked about adoption in the past, but had been told that for a couple our ages it could be a difficult and lengthy process. Now, however, we decided that if Scott could overcome the obstacles in his path, so could we.

The adoption attorney we contacted said we should be prepared to wait 1- 3 years for a baby. She sent us a package of application and legal forms that rivaled the Los Angeles phone book in sheer bulk. Intimidated, we decided to work on it slowly, sending in materials as we completed them.

A few weeks passed and we received a telephone call from our attorney, saying she had great news: She'd found us a newborn to adopt. We told her there must be some mistake -- we hadn't even finished the paperwork yet. She assured us that she was aware of that but that she had an unusual situation: a young girl (sixteen years old), who was seven and a half months pregnant and had gone through three adoption agencies and over 1500 couples, looking for the perfect parents for her baby, with no success.

As a last ditch effort, our attorney had told this girl about us even though we had just started the application process. She told her a little about us -- that we're travelers, that I'd written a children's book and worked in orphanages around the world, that I'd never given birth before -- and sent her a few pictures of me and Lee. Miraculously, the girl decided then and there that we had to be the parents of her soon-to-be-born little girl.

Lee and I were stunned. We certainly wanted a baby, but weren't at all sure that we were prepared for one so soon. We decided to look for signs ... and signs are what we received! In the ensuing three weeks...

I went to lunch with a girlfriend and when we walked in, the restaurant was literally filled with moms and babies in strollers instead of the business people and loners reading the paper I was used to seeing there. I asked the woman next to me if this was a "mommy and me" day here. She said no, Then I asked her how old her baby was and she said on May 23rd, she will be one year old. May 23rd was the expected due date of Ava. That was sign #1.

I got an email from a publisher inquiring about my children's book, Whispers from Children's Hearts. He wanted 500 copies. He had seen a copy in Sri Lanka! (Two months earlier, I had donated 30 books to a charity that supplies books to children suffering from natural disasters.) I had a fear that if I have a child, my work will slow down and I love what I do. So, that was sign #2.

I took my mother to a retreat in San Diego and a couple days in I found myself sitting next to an elderly lady who shared with me that she was a clairvoyant teacher at Berkley. I asked her to give me an example of her work, thinking I could possibly bring her to my Soul Blazing Sanctuary to teach. She shut her eyes for about a minute then opened them and said, "I see a soap bubble on your stomach, like you're pregnant. I also see a little blond girl floating around you trying to get your attention. Does this make any sense to you?"

Now, friends, I'm not even sure I even really believe in psychics but that was weird. (If you're keeping score, that was sign #3)

A few days later, we decide to stop in at a local baby store. They sold clothes, furniture, and toys among other things. And on the wall over a little girl's bed was a name in big, colorful block letters: AVA. Now, what I haven't mentioned yet is that Lee and I had already decided that if we did adopt this little girl, we'd want to name her... you guessed it ... "Ava".

Needless to say, by this point Lee and I were more than convinced that we were meant to be the parents of little Ava. So, to make a long story a little less long: less than 5 months after first being inspired by Scott Southworth, we brought our little miracle home and started a new, joyful chapter in our life together - a chapter that, until recently, we couldn't have imagined actually coming to pass.

You can read about Scott below (he's this month's Hero), and until next month -

If you want to know the world, look inside your heart.

Expect Miracles,

Your Soul Blazer,






Lisa Haisha
www.lisahaisha.com

P.S. I'm working with The Los Angeles Chamber of Enlightened Enterprises LACEE.org - designed to promote the awareness and pursuit of enlightenment in all forms of business. Check it out!

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From Inspiration to
Realization Compiled by Christine Kloser. Learn more

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What is Soul Blazing?

Soul Blazing is an accelerated method of stripping away a person's masks, revealing "character flaws" and turning them into strengths. It is about discovering one's authentic soul and embarking on the life journey one was born to take. Soul Blazing adapts proven techniques from a variety of different analytical approaches (Gestalt, Psychosynthesis, Jungian Analysis, Reality Therapy and others) and adds original techniques to form a completely new paradigm in emotional healing. It is not for the faint of heart. It is tough love to help you break down the mythology that you created for yourself and together we rebuild you from the inside out.

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Whispers from
Children's Hearts

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When Scott Southworth was serving his country in Iraq in 2004 and 2005, he spent much of his limited time off visiting Iraqi orphanages, trying to find a bit of humanity amid the chaos.



It was during one of these visits Scott met Ala'a, a ten-year-old boy with cerebral palsy. They were drawn to each other immediately. Scott visited Ala'a regularly during his tour of duty, and bonded with him in a profound way.

"At first, it was just kind of cute, kind of nice," said Southworth, 32, who felt more like Ala'a's big brother than his father. But it soon became obvious to him that something deeper was happening.

After a Christmas party, one of the doctors who cared for the orphans told Southworth that she was worried about Ala'a's future. He was getting too big for the orphanage. In a year, she said, he would have to move to a government-run home for the disabled. Southworth had heard about this home; by all accounts, it was horrible. The doctor confirmed his fears.

It was then that Scott that decided to pursue adopting Ala'a, even though such adoptions are not legal in Iraq.

The roadblocks sprang up almost immediately. Bribing a judge or threatening someone into letting him take Ala'a probably would have worked, but there was no way Scott would go that route.

"I was over there teaching them about the rule of law. I had to show them that if you really wanted something, there was a (legitimate) way," he said. It took two years of lawyers, paper work and determination, but Ala'a is now in America, legally adopted, and living with Scott.

"People ask me how I chose him, but I didn't. He chose me," Southworth said. "Every time I thought of a reason (not to do this), it quickly turned into an excuse, and I was absolutely ashamed and embarrassed. I thought, 'Well, I can sacrifice a little bit here and make some adjustments, or I can spend the rest of my life ashamed and embarrassed.'"

It is impossible for most people to lick their own elbow. (try it!)