Beauty

Yesterday was such a beautiful day, it got me thinking about the adoption and the inherent beauty it holds.  We all know that there are many children out there that need loving homes, we know that there are many people out there trying to adopt, and we know it is a wonderful thing when a child is united with a loving family.  But, how many of us have stopped the consider the wonderful beauty of adoption?

Adoption is often portrayed as a "bad" thing in the media.  Too often what is shown of adoption is sadly negative, with children being taken away from birth-mothers that do not know how to say no, teens searching for their "real" parents and discarding their adoptive families,  and young children being torn from their adoptive homes by birth-families that have changed their minds.

It is because of these images that run rampant in society, that most people do not know how amazingly wonderful and beautiful adoption is and can be.  Now, there has been a big surge in celebrities adopting, causing adoption to seem like a hip "trend."  But most of those that have already adopted, or have been going through the adoption process, are not adopting to be in the "in" crowd.  The majority of us struggling to adopt are doing so because we want to start, or grow, our families and we recognize adoption for what it truly is.  It is a difficult, heart-wrenching, emotionally draining, wonderful, heart-warming, beautiful journey.

Adoption takes so much love, so much understanding, so much compromise, so much hope, from all involved, in order to succeed.  No adoption is "one size fits all," no adoption is easy, but all, when done with love and understanding, are beautiful.  When all involved parties work together to create a warm, safe, loving environment for the child/children to grow up in, adoption becomes one of the most beautiful things in the world.

Below is a picture of the symbol for adoption: it features a triangle, which symbolizes all sides of the adoption triad - the birth-mother/family, the child, and the adoptive parent/s, and a heart intertwined with the triangle, which symbolizes the love from all involved in the adoption.  Such a simple image, yet so powerful when one knows it's meaning, especially for those who have been touched by the joy, love, and beauty of adoption.