Please Help Reunite This Family

My rational mind cannot make sense of this. This morning, a couple spoke at Community Bible Study and told a story I just cannot wrap my head around.

For 593 days, Major John Jackson and his wife Carolyn have been in a fight with DYFS for their five children. To see and hear the couple, it is unfathomable that they don't have their children. They appear to be a God-fearing and God-honoring family. The husband is in the military and the wife is well-spoken, poised and sincere.

I know that I have only heard their side of the story, and I know that I can be naive, always believing the best in people. But even if only a kernel of their story is true, this is still an outrageous travesty and miscarriage of justice. I will try to make sense of it.

The back story: In 2006, the Jacksons, who already had three biological children, adopted a little boy named Joshua. He was born addicted to drugs and six-months premature. In his short life, he endured multiple hospital visits (during one of which he developed MRSA) and multiple surgeries. In 2008, he died from a congenital seizure disorder.

According to the Jacksons, the death was investigated by both State and Federal agencies (because they lived on a military base), as per protocol, and they were cleared of any culpabilities in his death.

A month after Joshua's death, the couple became foster parents to two little girls (their cousins) under an interstate agreement between Indiana and NJ DYFS. They had to pass home studies and DYFS scrutiny and in July 2009, the Jacksons formally adopted the two girls. The next month, John was deployed to Iraq.

For Thanksgiving and Christmas, with John still in Iraq, Carolyn took their five children to visit family in Indiana. When they returned home in January, the entire family came down with the flu. The baby, Chaya, was taken to the hospital and treated for extreme dehydration. In follow-up visits with the family doctor, the child was diagnosed with failure to thrive, and underwent monthly doctor visits and blood draws.

The injustice: In April 2010, Chaya became sick again, and was taken to St. Clare's hospital in Dover, N.J., then transferred to Morristown Memorial Hospital. There, a social worker who remembered the couple from Joshua's trips to the hospital, became suspicious ad contacted DYFS. According the Jacksons, the social worker failed to check records and told DYFS that Joshua died at home (instead of in the hospital where he actually died) and was cremated before an autopsy (which he actually had).

Instead of verifying the facts, DYFS did the unthinkable. They removed all the children from their care, citing imminent danger. They did not get a court order or followed the routine channels. Instead they took all five children from their home and split them into three homes. The children were denied comfort items from home. As a mom, the thought of Dan being denied his puppy and blanket — because they are reminders of home — is completely unfathomable. The kids were also denied family prayer books and even their Bibles.

The unbelievable: The DYFS that took these children from their home is the same Social Service organization that failed to act on allegations of abuse of children who ultimately died in both Newark and Irvington. Is the agency overcompensating now? If so, I think they are sorely off the mark.

John and Carolyn Jackson appear to be upstanding, Godly people. They are well spoken. They are hurting. They are standing firm on God's promises with a faith I hope I am never forced to display.

I feel very powerless that there isn't more I can do to bring justice for this family. I can send a letter to Gov. Christie. I can pray. I can send money for their legal fund. But that, and this little blog to try to bring awareness, really doesn't feel like much.

I heard they have a Facebook page, but I couldn't find it. I did find links to other articles about the Jackson Seven:

http://reunitejackson7.blogspot.com/

http://reunitejackson7.webs.com/

http://joyfulwith3.blogspot.com/2011/04/reunite-jackson-7-tell-nj-dyfs-to.html

Please pray that this family can be reunited soon. (And please, hug your kids extra tight!)

Green Grappling

My first Earth Day as a mother sent me on a green spin for a while. I opted for Ecologically-friendly alternatives for everything I did. I started recycling religiously, stopped buying petroleum-based cleaning products, and even cloth diapered for a little while.

I felt good. I felt smug. And maybe just a little superior. But by the next Earth Day my greening was seriously waning, with the exception of my Green Cleaner and recycling.

Last Spring, as editor of Franklin Lakes Patch, I produced a Green Patch series for Earth Day. One article for each work day in April. In doing so, I discovered that recycling is actually big business. Our garbage is our largest export, and in this down market, commodities like paper and steel are actually thriving.

In interviews with local garbage and recycling companies, I found out that recycling helps the economy at the local level. Municipalities are actually get paid by the companies who pick up our recycling, which off sets our taxes. American paper products are particularly valuable. China is paying good money for our paper because our tree-derived pulp is superior to their rice paper.

With this knowledge in hand, I no longer feel guilty about the huge pile of paper I recycle each month. Instead can rejoice while buying a box of two soy milks, that I'm not only saving a dollar, I'm helping to generate to offset my property taxes. Or something like that.

Guilt-Free Gift Guide

Looking for Christmas gifts that doesn't leave you feeling guilty? Here are a few ideas:

Toys Made in the USA: Pure Play Kids sells natural, battery-free creative toys and play things, most of which were made in America (or Europe) and produced under environmentally friendly conditions. From infants to grade school, the company offers a wide selection of toys you can feel good giving.

A Hand-Up: The nonprofit Kiva.org provides micro loans to small businesses around the globe. Kiva users can lend as little as $25 (which is repaid 100-percent) to their choice of more than 3,500 small businesses around the world. A Kiva Gift Card is a feel-good gift that can be recycled over and over again as the loans are repaid.

The Gift of Life: By the end of 2011, close to 1 million people living in third world countries will die from malaria. Enter the Moskeeto HoodE, a technologically advanced garment that repels insects, including mosquitos that carry malaria. For just $22, you can purchase a Moskeeto HoodE to protect someone living in an area where malaria is prevalent.

Educational Opportunities: In America, we take going to school for granted. But just across the Texas border, children in Juarez, Mexico, don't get a free-education. For $35 a month, or $420 a year, you can sponsor a child's education in one of the poorest and dangerous communities in the Northern Hemisphere.

Clean Water: Nearly 1 BILLION people do not have access to safe, clean drinking water. For as little as $10, you can make a difference thanks to The Water Project. The organization does more than just dig wells in Africa, they engage communities and help to change lives.

Have any suggestions for guilt-free gifts? Share them in the comments!

I AM AN AMERICAN

Whenever I am asked my nationality, I always say, "American." The typical response is, "Well, yeah, we are all American. I mean, where is your family from?"

My family is from America. I'm not Irish American, or German American, or Swedish American. I am American. English-Irish-Scottish-Welsh-German-Swedish-Dutch 14th generation American.

My first ancestor came to America in the first half of the 1600s. Richard Stout settled in Salem, Mass. in mid-1630s. From there, he moved to Gravesend, NY.

His future wife, Penelope Kent Van Princes, came to America in 1639. She was born in 1622 in Holland and came to America with her first husband on their honeymoon. On the passage over, her husband got sick. The voyage ended when then were shipwrecked on the Jersey Shore (at Sandy Hook). The rest of the passengers travelled on to safety, but Penelope's husband was too sick, so she stayed behind with him.

According to legend, the Indians came, killed her husband, scalped her and left her for dead. She was reportedly disemboweled and crawled to safety in a hollowed out tree where she subsisted off maple sap for days until she was rescued by other indians (Kind Navesink/Leni Lenape Indians). These "Good Samaritan" indians took her back to their camp, nursed her back to health and allowed her to live among them — as an equal.

From what I understand, Penelope lived with the Indians in what is now Monmonth County, NJ, for about a year. At that time, her people came back for her. The Old Indian who saved her life asked her if she wanted to stay with the Indians who treated her so well or go back with her own people, who basically left her for dead. She missed her culture and her religion, so she went with them back to Gravesend.

Years later, she returned to Monmonth County where she and her second husband, Richard Stout, are said to have purchased property from the Indians and co-existed peacefully with them. (I don't know if that is really a fact, or just legend.) My family has pretty much stayed in New Jersey ever since.

I am 14th Generation American. My family tree has some interesting people on it: Abe Lincoln (sixth cousin, fourth removed), John Bowne (author of the Flushing Remonstrance, which was later taken nearly word for word as the Freedom of Religion doctrine of the Bill of Rights), and revolutionary war general, Mad Anthony Wayne. (But I think my coolest ancestor is my Great Aunt Carol, who was a Roxyette, the dance troupe precursor to the famous Rockettes.)

I am the 14th generation of my family born in America.

I AM AN AMERICAN.

Taking Christianity to the Streets

We all have walls. I live in an area that's just spacious enough that I see my neighbors sporadically, rarely even. I don't really know most people who live on my street. Except for the ones with kids, which aren't many, and I don't even know all of those.

We stay inside and see each other in passing. Extended conversations during power failures, and when fire trucks or ambulances stop on our street. And the only time we ring our neighbor's doorbells are on Halloween. The rest of the time, we hide behind our walls.

One of the things I find interesting about Occupy Wall Street is that people are taking to the streets and not hiding behind walls anymore. That includes faith communities. A loosely organized group of pastors calling themselves The Protest Chaplains have emerged from the Occupy movement. It is inspiring to see.

On Sundays, they hold interfaith services in Zuccotti Park. (Yesterday, The Council of Elders from the Civil Rights movement spoke. I wished I could have been there! I hope to find footage to watch.)

After the protestors were kicked out of the park last Tuesday, many churches in the area opened their doors to occupiers, showing genuine Christian hospitality. It makes me happy to see Christians openly acting like Christians should.

One thing I hope comes out of Occupy Wall Street is that we tear all our walls down.

Month of Discontent Cont'd (Part 5)

I fell behind (again) on my discontents. Let's see if I can pull this together quickly.

Nov. 16. I hate that I don't appreciate all the good things that I have more often.

Nov. 17. I hate unfair labor practices. I hate that feel I have to choose between affordable and humane. I hate that the toys my kid wants for Christmas are probably made by kids, in sweatshops.

Nov. 18. I hate that people, online, would rather argue about philosophical difference than collaborate on points they agree upon to come up with a common solution.

Nov. 19. I hate that a few bad apples spoil the whole bunch. Many people are wholesale dismissing the Occupy Movement because of the actions of a few.

Nov. 20. I hate how much clutter I have accumulated. How much junk we have! (And how much effort it seems to take to get rid of it!)

Nov. 21. I hate that my preschooler completely hates naps. But then crashes at about 4 p.m. and is super cross if you try to make him get up!!!

Christmas Shopping Dilemna

I am having a disconnect between my conscience and my pocketbook this Christmas. I don't want to spend a lot of money. I don't want to be inconvenienced. I don't want to use credit cards. And most importantly, I don't want to violate my personal ethics.

Growing up in Mall Capital of America, I want to avoid traffic, malls and parking at all costs. Enter online shopping. No crowds, no traffic, no hassles. And paying with debit cards or paypal ensures I don't overspend and increase my debt.

But this year, I'm having a problem justifying online shopping. Over the summer, there were some exposes about unsafe working conditions in Amazon.com factories. That's something that I just cannot support.

I also don't think I can shop at Kohl's anymore. It's tempting when a 30% off coupon arrives in the mail, but of course, you have to use your credit card to take advantage of the coupon. Plus, I find most Kohl's clothes fall apart pretty quickly.

The big sticking point for me is knowing that many of the clothes were made in China and other countries without fair labor practices. For all I know, it was made by some little kid who spends 10 to 12 hours a day in a factory instead of playing outside.

I am hoping to be able to make the right choice in purchasing presents this year. (I shutter to think where McQueen and Thomas are made!!)

Have any good American-made gift ideas? Know of a place to shop online or locally for it?