When government fell in December 1989, Ceausescu was overthrown and executed.

The misery didn't die with him.

Even braced for conditions she had heard were common at orphanages, Simon had to steady herself at odor blasting into her nostrils. The heat concentrated stench of diapers, changed -- if at all -- once a day. It happened like this: children with sticky legs sat stacked on trays like loaves of bread, changed in one fell swoop.

More than smell, what struck her about this particular orphanage was silence. Wards of tiny creatures stared blankly through bars in cribs, or rocked, rocked, rocked on filthy bare pads. Children with bloated bellies and babies crawling with lice had learned not to cry. Rarely would their screams move a caretaker to dab at their tears.

Simon delivered care packages to Spitalul Children's Hospital and several orphanages. At orphanages, children buzzed about her as if she were queen bee. One child swooped down on a pink bunny, wetting its fur with kisses.

Simon returned home to Orlando, changed. She knew what she had to do.

HUG MELTS AWAY BLEAKNESS

In late October 1990, Simon again was bound for Romania.

She and her husband, Paul, in their early 40s at time, had tried and failed to adopt children in states. Five times, same thing. It was as if children were ice -- when Simons believed they were grasping something solid, children slipped like water through their fingers.

On her first trip to Romania, Simon became smitten with a 2-year-old named Ana and started adoption paperwork.

But soon her optimism faded like black-and-white snapshot of brown-haired little girl.

Simon found red tape virtually impenetrable. Each court appearance brought disappointment and more frustration. Each judge she appeared before had his own rules for signing off on adoption. That she spoke little Romanian didn't help.

Complicating matters, Simon was under a deadline: She had been in Romania for several weeks and with an airlines strike looming, she was booked on last flight out of Bucharest before Christmas.

At least she had tried, she thought.

As one door seemed to slam shut, another opened. An interpreter, aware of her dead-ends with Ana, told her about a slight boy at Orphanage No. 4.

Simon visited place. The building was old, frigid. Inside there were no toys. Outside packs of wild dogs roamed. The children slept in military cots. They shared a bathroom with rusty showers and two sinks.

After a while, Simon and boy she came to meet were brought together, two strangers in strangest of places. His father was dead and his mother was poor. His aunts, uncles, and cousins lived in a commune outside of Bucharest.

The child, in a sweater, long stockings, and knitted pants, reacted only way he could: he ran as fast as he could over to Simon, snaked his arms around just under her waist and squeezed.

Within week, boy she called Nick was gorging on chocolates on a flight bound for Orlando.

Nick was miles away from speaking English, save for words, "chocolate" and "Mickey." And this: Her son could say mama.

DISCOVERING TIRE TREADS

After a while, when newness rubbed away, Simons confronted some unpleasant realities.

An institutionalized child -- one who had been warehoused virtually all his life without an encouraging word, without love -- was going to bear scars.

The first night he spent in his room, Nick stripped sheets and ignored pillow -- luxuries he had never had. He spent nights haunting hallway, snacking on bowls of sugar.

Precious few things came naturally to him. He knew how to march and salute -- orphans were groomed to be crack soldiers -- and when placed in a bathtub, Nick would grab a cloth and buff chrome.

Since he had never seen a toy, he had to learn how to play.

Since he was rarely allowed to venture beyond crib, he had to learn to explore. Once at school, teachers found Nick under a school bus, weaving his fingers through tire treads. <

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Darryl E. Owens Features Writer The Orlando Sentinel 633 North Orange Avenue Orlando, FL 32801 (407) 420-5095 Fax: (407) 420-5457

COME FIND OUT HOW YOU CAN HELP, TOO. :)

http://joanbramsch.com eens/backpack.shtml

JOAN BRAMSCH is a family person, educator, writer and E-publisher. Her articles appear internationally in print and online. Six of her best-selling adult novels - near one million copies - have worldwide distribution. Her Empowered Parenting Ezine serves 1000 parents around the globe. http://www.JoanBramsch.com mailto:hijoan@joanbramsch.com

Problems usually have several solutions. List possible solutions and then ask your Advisor via your pendulum to choose for you most logical answer. If you cannot see a possible answer, just give your Advisor time to work on problem. If it is a major problem it may take a few days to solve but it will be solved. Believe me. Your Advisor will never let you down. Always use your pendulum to help you solve problems.

ACHIEVING GOALS If you look up Greed in dictionary, it says it is Eager desire. We all have eager desires so we are all Greedy. We are designed to be greedy. Please be as greedy as you like but remember these Golden rules: Be considerate of others and never do harm to anyone, and above all be patient with yourself and anyone you associate with. By following these rules you will keep your greed (eager desires) in check.

If you ask a person what he or she wants in life, many will not be able to tell you in detail. But if you ask same person what they would buy if they won a few million on lottery, their imagination will run riot and they will produce a list of goals within minutes. That’s a little test that I have give my family and friends in past, just to find out how greedy they are. Try it with your family and friends. You will be amazed at result.

Now see what list you produce based on a hypothetical lottery of a million. People put restrictions on their goals because of lack of money. Write your list in priority order, and you will even surprise yourself with list you produce.

When you first look at your list of goals you may say to yourself: "There is no way I will achieve these goals". Believe me, you will achieve your goals and achieve them in a logical way. Look at your list daily and if you feel that you should change them, do so. You are now ready to put things into motion.

Now sit in a chair and relax. Go over happenings of your day within your thoughts, just as you did with problems. As you sit quietly you will begin to want to know answers to questions that begin to appear. Do not forget you must ask questions that require a YES or NO answer. As you ask questions, routes will begin to appear for you to follow. Always ask your Advisor via your pendulum if you should follow a particular route. Your Advisor is there to help you achieve those Goals.

When you go out and meet people, make a point of talking less and listening more. The more you listen to what other people have to say more you learn to your advantage. Always control conversations by asking questions and when a topic comes up that you are interested in, casually ask questions that are important to your education. You will remember my words when you are in conversation with someone. All kinds of routes will appear if you listen more and talk less.

There were three main goals at top of my list. The first one was to pay off all my outstanding debts. The second was to stop smoking. I was a heavy smoker, which had caused me concern because of family budget. The third was to retire as soon as possible. I was 44 years of age at time.

I soon achieved those goals and have, over years, achieved many more. Since 1981, my wife and I have purchased five different homes and in August 2000, I eagerly took delivery of a late model Ford Mondeo, 2400cc - 24 valve - T-Bar Automatic. Maroon in colour with black trim.

Now that I’m retired my needs are very few but I still update my list of goals regularly and wait patiently for them to materialize. You now have a golden opportunity to Solve Problems and Achieve your Goals whilst working with a Pendulum ... Just remember these basic rules:-

Consider Others And Be Patient

Joseph Robert Neil James resides in Warwickshire, England and is an author, husband, father, grand-father, and Great-Grand-Father Having spent many years in the "Direct Mail Advertising" business in Australia - Joseph returned to live in the United Kingdom with his wife and young family during 1974. Joseph is now retired and enjoys working with his computer.