This morning as I was feeding breakfast to Arouna, the tv was on and there was an announcement about a flag football team. I really didn't hear anything more than it being mentioned but it reminded me of my college days. My freshman year, I played on a flag football team and the name of the team was the Ice Cream Cones. I had never played before but I was a running back and receiver on the team and we took it pretty seriously. And for the record, we won the league that year. Anyway, back to the point....we had shirts from Baskin Robbins that said "So many flavors......So little time" and it showed pictures of all the different flavors of ice cream.
Later on today, I read a blog from another adoptive Mom and she talked about how the hardest part of adoption is leaving other children behind. Not being able to adopt more. And it reminded me of my flag football t-shirt but instead of ice cream flavors, it should read "So many orphans.....So little time".
My heart breaks for all the ones we left behind. For almost 2 months now, Arouna has had a Mommy to pick him up when he's upset, to check on him in the middle of the night when he wakes up crying, to hold him while he's having a seizure, to kiss his head when he falls over and hits it on the hard floor, to rock him to sleep and tell him that he's loved. And he has a Daddy, sisters and a brother and Grandparents that love and adore him. But there are around 143 million orphans in the world today that don't have that and many of them never will. And if they are special needs, as Arouna is, their plight is much more serious. In certain countries, at the age of 4-5, they will be transferred out of a baby house or orphanage, to live out their days in a mental institution confined to a crib if they are immobile. And the statistics are that over 90% of these children transferred die within the first year in the institutions. They suffer abuse, neglect and starvation. We won't even let our dogs experience that kind of life, yet orphans around the world go thru this daily. Maybe you think I'm just exaggerating things to get people to listen....but NO. I've seen the pictures, I've talked to the adoptive Moms who've been to the orphanages. It's happening and though we may not see it up close, we are responsible. I am responsible. I'm responsible for doing all I can to advocate for these children. And though the orphanages I've visited in Haiti and Burkina Faso are good orphanages, these children still need families and Moms and Dads who love them and help them reach their potential in life.
Is it easy? No! Is it expensive? Yes! Is it tiring? Yes! Is it frustrating at times? Yes! Is it a long process with many ups and down? Yes! Is it a sacrifice? Yes! BUT is it worth it? OH YES! There is a joy and peace that I believe God has given even when the days are tough. And we are not superhuman by any means. We have just offered ourselves to be available to love a child and raise him the best that we can. We'll make plenty of mistakes as we did and are still doing with our biological children, but he will be loved.
So maybe some of you have considered adoption but have gone thru all the reasons why you can't. I've been there too. I've even been there after bringing Arouna home. As parents, we will never feel completely adequate or prepared or good enough. But there are orphans in all countries, even our own, that need us to step up and be responsible. I pray that one day we will be able to adopt again because I can't get a certain t-shirt out of my mind with the faces of the orphans I love pictured on it. So many orphans......So little time!
