Observing National Adoption Month

As we step into this second day of November, a chill in the air and a brisk, crisp hope for holidays to come, we also pause to observe National Adoption month. As an agency that cares for vulnerable children globally and assists families in the adoption process this is most definitely a conversation we show up for. Our seat at the table is worn and well-established after 28 years of watching families come together.

Over the years we have learned so much. We have leaned in to listen to parents and children who joined their families through adoption. We see the miracle that adoption can be and we also see the pain and loss that is woven deeply into these stories. It’s the broken and beautiful, the rebuilding alongside ruins that makes up the framework of families formed through adoption. It can be difficult to absorb the fact that all of this can exist in juxtaposition, but, put simply… it does.

So this month, as we tread carefully into the waters of sharing stories of family and adoption, as we advocate for more families to say yes to growing their family in this very unique way… we also want to say, we see you in your struggle. We understand that “celebrate” may feel like the wrong word or really a poor word to associate with this month. But we also understand that each family and child has their very own story and their very own stage of processing that story. Some may indeed embrace the idea of celebrating while others will mourn. And every bit of it is okay. “To everything there is a season…a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance…”

Give yourself permission to observe this month as you are, while remembering the uniqueness of every journey. Lean in, absorb the experiences of others, listen, learn, share, reach out.