At Every Turn

New Dilemma....emailed the US Embassy in Guatemala today to find out if we have been submitted to receive DNA authorization. Boy, was I in for a shock. The reply simply stated that they had administratively closed our case as of July 2007. W-H-A-T! What does that mean? How do I fix it? Who has to fix it? When can it be done? How long will this take? These are just a few of the questions I had and no one to ask. You see, you can't just call the Embassy and ask them a casual question. Your congressman has to do that. Just another link in the long chain. ( And who ever heard of a US Embassy that wasn't open to US citizens?)

Anyway, I emailed AS. They suggested to me, not just once, but twice, to get my congressman involved as soon as possible. They have never heard of a case being administratively closed. (Hmmm, imagine that.)

So, I did just that. First I contacted my female congress person's office. I chose her, thinking that they would be a little more sympathetic, being she's a mother herself. Wrong. I received the same 'ol run of the mill reply, first you have to submit a consent form, then follow it with an explanation of what the problem is, blah, blah, blah. Dead end. Couldn't they hear the hysterical tone to my voice? Don't they know how hard we have fought to this point?

So I did what every squeaky wheel does...I whined a little louder at the next stop. I called Richard Burr's office and much to my surprise, they were sympathetic and understanding and helpful and concerned. Whew, relief. Someone that actually sees this as the same emergency I see. They were truly genuine people. They admitted to not knowing what administratively closed meant. But they committed to finding out. (What a nice change of pace - honesty). I am still a little freaked at this last development. But I feel much better at our chances of getting this resolved since speaking with Ms. L.A. at Burr's office. She had me email her our timeline and all the info. on Ben, myself and my husband. She said she would email them and then follow up with a phone call. I have hope that she will be able to give me some sort of answer tomorrow. If not, I will have to wait out the weekend. (And we all know how excruciating that can be).

You know, I have to say that I have been taught a lesson about myself through this process. I could be labeled an obsessive person. When something has gone wrong in our process, (and much has). I find myself fixating to it. All I want to do is work on it, or think about it or talk to someone about it. I would have never thought of myself as having this gene. But I can't help myself. Today, when all of this was going on...in my mind, I kept thinking, "Don't you people know what is happening here? Don't you understand what kind of problem this is? How could you possibly want me to do something as trivial as work when I have such a HUGE emergency on my hands!" Of course, I haven't totally lost all my marbles, (just yet). So I can still tell myself there is a time and place for everything. And the middle of my office, packed with clients, is not the time nor the place to have a frenzied meltdown. So I continue the charade and smile warmly as I greet the next client at my desk. But on the inside, the war continues.

God, please put the right people in place to correct this latest dilemma. And also, please clear the way for us to bring home our son with no further "bumps". And give me the strength to stand tall and behave as my mother would be proud. I am weary. But with you, I know all is possible. Amen.
Gayle