You must first be wondering - bittersweet? why?
Without a doubt, in my opinion, adoption is the greatest gift to a child and a selfless act of love from the woman who carries that child and then chooses to completely separate from that biological connection. The fact of the matter is, the child is blessed with a life where regardless of biology two wonderful parents fall in love with him/her as their wishes finally come true and they are blessed with a baby they could not conceive.
On the other hand, here is a woman who has carried a child for nine months and has the strength to part ways for reasons as simple or as complicated as you can imagine. But here's the beauty in it - an act like this can be misconstrued so easily as abandonment, rejection and just pure dismissal of love - it's everything but that.
She's loved you from the start, she's given you a chance and choice to live a better life that teaches you that biology and 'blood' only take you so far... it's the LOVE that makes you a family. So to those that are adopted - love her, pray for her and send out positive energy into the universe for it is because of her you are here today.
I very recently made a trip to the Missionaries of Charity orphanage in Old Delhi... I didn't know what to expect or how i'd feel. But I have to say it was ever so special. I spoke to a few of the beautiful nuns who dedicate their entire lives not only to god, but to looking after all these children that are just waiting to be picked up and loved. This inevitably takes dedication, strength and a completely different set of aspirations for the greater good in life.
It's as simple as that.
After seeing a few of the older ones - my mom and me went upstairs to the room where all the little ones were either playing, being bathed, or in their cribs sleeping. I walked around and my eyes were immediately drawn to a precious little one year old baby girl lying on her tummy. I looked at her and the first thing I noticed was that she was blind... I picked her up immediately.
And that's where my most special hour turned to a memory that will always remain....
With her little arms glued to my neck, she rested her delicate head on my chest so tightly as if she was trying to get closer to the sound of my heartbeat. She lay like this in absolute stillness for minutes on end - at one point I asked my mum if she had gone to sleep. As you can imagine my instant reaction was how does a child I have never met before lay so still? She must be asleep!
The angel was still wide awake...... that's when I realized it was the warmth of another body and the love that resonated from me which she was drawn to. So we live our lives in partial distress - complaining about a heartbreak, a debt, being over worked, under worked, and the usual victimizing games. But here is just a room full of children among many others all over the world where it can take a child weeks, months or years to feel the warmth and love of a human body for more than just a few seconds or minutes.
I couldn't put her down. I walked around the entire room, back and forth just me and her... She had my undivided attention because when would she get this love again? Why do these beautiful innocent souls have to wait to get something as simple as love?
This whole experience which I haven't even described fully as some things in life are better experienced and felt rather than written has opened my eyes to various orphanages and mostly Mother Theresa........ a saint who with selfless strength and love made more than just a mark in the world which will forever be embedded in everyone's hearts especially our country, India.
Adoption without a doubt, is the most beautiful gift you can give a child. Each child has a right to live, and the biological parents who showed the courage to bring these lives into this world should be thanked by the universe for this act of love. So a promise I hold dear to myself - if by 29 I don't have children of my own regardless of being married or unmarried, I will adopt from no place else but the Missionaries of Charity and bless the life of another the way many lives in this world are blessed through adoption.
Posts
Absolutely B e a u t i f u l. Mommy
ReplyDeleteThis is beautifully written simz. There is so much wrong with the world... new borns being neglected and given up is just horrible. I'm glad that you're writing about it and considering it.
ReplyDeleteIn fact, your ending.... you said that if you don't have children of your own, you will adopt... i think that's beautiful... but someone like you, i think you should adopt even if you have children... at some point! i truly think you're the kind of person who has the capacity to unconditionally love, even if it's not your own flesh and blood... and any child would be lucky to have you!
*considering it being adoption of course!
ReplyDeleteYou have so beautifully captured the emotions of adoption and I feel very word you have written....with tears in my eyes... Just want to add that the precious child which the adopting parents, hugging close to their hearts, take home is the greatest gift for them.....the joy and happiness this child gives to them, they would never have the opportunity to experience if it wasn't for this beautiful gift...
ReplyDeleteYou're completely right ;) After re-reading it about 10 times I realized that I had forgotten to add that but you've just written it so beautifully I don't need to!
ReplyDelete