On Friday I was the Keynote Speaker for a ceremony celebrating adoptive families that were formed in Prince George's County Maryland this past year. It was a lovely affair held in a beautiful banquet hall with a delicious buffet lunch with adult and children's menus. Families were greeted by chamber music provided by the talented members of a local public school for the arts, Thomas J. Pullen. County and State officials were presents to bring greetings and congratulations from their respective high offices. A clown and other entertainment were set up in an adjacent room to occupy the younger children when they became restless. There was a raffle and several neat door prizes. I am sure other jurisdictions hold similar celebrations. I was honored to be a part of ours.

Over the next couple of days I am going to post parts of my speech. I owe a word of thanks to all of you who participated on my post asking how would we complete the phrase: Adoption______. If you recall that was the post in which I commented on how there are times when I think prospective parents might read information contained on our blogs or elsewhere and end up thinking, "Adoption. What a bummer." That's because sometimes there is so much information that seems so negative and downright overwhelming. In that post many readers commented on what adoption has meant to them and I incorporated some of those thoughts, though not the exact wording, into my speech. Extra special thanks to Sandra who filled in the blank with one word: is.

I have been a strong advocate for adoption for many years now and I still get a kick out of meeting a new family that has been formed or expanded by adoption. That's because in many ways I am always reminded about my own experience. You see I am the adoptive mother of two beautiful, bright, thriving daughters whom I adopted from a local social services agency. And I am the biological mother of their big brother of whom I am equally proud.

I love to hear the stories about how parents came to their decision to proceed on this incredible journey and what experience has been like for them. Parents who give birth to a child, commiserate with other parents about the nine months of waiting, the labor pains, and delivery. Adoptive parents commiserate with each other as well. About the paperwork, and the home studies, and the fingerprinting, and the parenting classes, and those nosy social workers with their questions and their follow-up visits, and sometimes years of waiting.