More, Not Less

Just finished study hall. Had a conversation with five of my students about adoption, of all things. It turns out that four out of the five students are actually adoptees. Incredible odds!

We talked about all sorts of things, but the overwhelming message was that they grew up happy and joyful, and no one made any distinctions between "natural" born kids and adopted ones. They are all very much loved.

It was an eye opener for me: I would not have known that any of them were adopted by face. It isn't a birthmark, so to speak. It's a situation--one that is special and treasure-worthy.

As they left, I thought of their parents at home, and gave them all a mental hug.

I can't wait to join their ranks.

The world is sometimes harsh, and not always positive, but I am optimistic about the world you will inhabit, the community you will join. My students are on their way to great futures, and it makes me more than proud to say that they will be greatly responsible for the experiences you have in life. They will be your teachers, your doctors, your government.

The more I think about it, the more I understand: to be adopted means you are chosen. It means that you are lucky. It means that you, of all people, have a responsibility to give back to the world that gave so richly to you. I, as your mother and an adopted child myself, do my best to give to the world, to be grateful for what I have.

As an adoptee I have more, not less.

And so will you.