In Need of Bravery

Okay, it's weighing on my mind, and I just need to do it.

I need to compose that letter to BH's birthparents, to be sent directly to their home. This is a follow up to my previous posts called "Crud, crud, crud!"

What is my objective? To send them a letter offering to make our required letter/picture updates sent directly to them.

Why am I shaking nervously over this? Because up to this point, I don't know how much, if at all, his birthparents have gotten the previous updates. Those have all been sent to the now-defunct adoption agency, which they would have needed to go and pick up. It was a neutral territory, and very common in adoptions for adoption agencies to be the neutral third party. Now that ABC is gone, that neutrality is gone. Best scenario, they have the updates, and are mad that ABC shut down. Worst scenario, they haven't gone to get the updates, have moved on, and would feel intruded upon with this weird letter from me in the mail directly to their home.

What can I do? Send the letter in very gentle wording, inviting, and encouraging. I will also send the letter with my attorney's return address on it. Why? So if junk flies, he'll be my first line of defense, and he offered!

Why else am I shaky? Honestly, these are extremely nice, hard working people from all that I know of them, although I have never met them. I don't want my letter, which may come out of nowhere for them, to upset them. Or upset the whole "we've moved on" thing that we all hope happens to our kid's birthparents. I don't want it to take them back to the hard spot they were in when BH was born.

So, prayers please! I need to do it soon, because his next update is coming up. So are my taxes, so let's not talk about the checkbook that needs my immediate attention. That is happening Monday night.

PBS Heads Up

For those of us in the Pacific Northwest, please keep your eyes out for these three documentaries this week. For those of you not in this area, please check your local PBS guide for a couple of good documentaries that I absolutely recommend.

1) Better Hour: The Legacy of William Wilberforce. Wilberforce was a staunch abolitionist and a devout Christian. I only caught the last half of this last year and it wasn't shown again. Please check your listings for it. It is on at 3 am this Friday, 2/6. So, either set your tivo, or stay up, take your pick. Honestly, I don't have tivo, so I may be trying to set the VCR!

2) Local PBS folks, this Sunday night, 2/8, at 11 pm, is a local documentary called "Local Color" which was done in 1991 talking about our local struggle for civil rights, the sacrifice of both blacks and whites to make that happen. I am really excited to see this.

3) Also at 3 am is a series called "Slavery and the Making of America" and that is going on all this week. So again, set your VCR/tivo if you can. Again, I only caught the last of that last year, and truly enjoyed what little I did see. It is a series that chronicles slavery from start to the Civil War, and even beyond that to Jim Crow law and the civil rights movement.

I need to figure out my vcr again. I am going to miss these if I don't get on them!

Great Movie to Start it All Off

I inadvertently watched this movie today. I was watching it while coaxing BH to take his nap. It was on the IFC Channel (Independent Film Channel, 550 on DirecTV). We like to watch independent films and have seen a few good ones, but watch out. Independent films can be a disguise for some pornographic things too. But if you find a good one, it's great to see movies that aren't typical Hollywood cookie cutter movies. It's also great to see famous actors that we all know (James Spader, Hillary Swank, Julianne Moore, Dennis Quaid, etc) doing really different things.

Anyway, this was on this afternoon, and the description had the story line being about a husband who displays homosexual tendencies. Um, yes, but it's so much more than that. It is also about interracial relationships during the 50's. I won't give it away, but yes, there is a homosexual story line, and it's not glorifying. In fact, it's quite devastating. You will see one kissing scene of two men kissing, and it's when she's about to walk into the office if you want to take a sec to look away. I pretty much ignored that story line.

I was incredibly intrigued by the story line of the interracial couple and how dangerous that was in the 50's. How much of a sacrifice it was to continue such a relationship, and what hardship could befall such a family.

Fascinating.

There are no sex scenes in this movie. No violence, a few F bombs. For an independent film, quite refreshing! I hope it's shown more this month. One nice thing about the IFC channel, no commercials. It's literally like watching a DVD.

What a great movie to stumble upon as I begin my African American history month search for good stuff.

The Winner (according to our family's vote) Goes To!

Worthy of a Repeat

My favorite chili recipe of all time. See November 7, 2007 post for the history behind my chili recipe. I just realized too, I did an homage to it for last year's Super Bowl. It's a perfect chili for Super Bowl Sunday. Many times I feel like it's Thanksgiving morning on SB Sunday's because I get up eat breakfast, and start making a feast.

Enjoy!

5 slices of bacon
8 ounces hot bulk pork sausage
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1 cup chopped onion
1 clove of garlic
1 or 2 dried red chili peppers, seeded and crumbled
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and diced
1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons of chili powder
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
two twelve ounce cans of Coors beer (okay, we cheat a lot and use Hefeweizen,
or a good amber ale)
one 12 ounce can of tomato paste
one 16 ounce can of pinto beans, drained

Cook bacon till crisp; drain and set aside. Brown sausage. Drain, reserving 2 tablespoons of drippings, set aside. In reserved drippings, brown the ground beef, onion, green pepper and garlic. Add bacon, sausage, pepper, chili powder, oregano, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Stir in beer and tomato paste. Bring to boiling; simmer, covered for 1 1/2 hours. Add beans, simmer, covered, 30 more minutes. Serve with shredded cheese and chopped onion.