(Continued... Part one here)

In 2006, the love for one little girl taught me much and gave me the strength to choose love over fear.

I learned A LOT about HIV. What I thought was a death sentence and a sad and terrible thing for “other people”, became a chronic but manageable disease that is now part of my daily life. What I thought was a scary and highly contagious disease turned out to be something fairly easy to deal with that poses no threat to family and friends. What I thought was “a problem” for people far away, became my problem.

I became painfully aware of how unfair the social stigmas against people with HIV are. A person with cancer or diabetes or sickle cell anemia gets love and support from those they are surrounded by, but many people with HIV find themselves shunned and feared and treated unfairly, through no fault of their own.

Through writing this blog (which I started in Feb. 2006) I have learned a ton about transracial families, transracial adoption and issues regarding race. My thoughts and attitudes and actions regarding my family and race have deepened and grown for the better and I am much more aware. I have much more to learn, but I am grateful for all I have learned this year.

I have met awesome people and families like mine, and renewed my commitment for advocating for adoption for all children, no matter what color their skin happens to be.

I have become even more passionate for helping special needs children find adoptive families, especially children with HIV. Being adopted is truly a case of life and death for many of these kids, and they are SO much more than just a diagnosis and have SO much to offer to a family. I want more people to realize that they would be blessed to adopt an HIV+ child, not burdened. I wish that more adoptive parents would see that all children, even children who are blind, or deaf, or have physical challenges or have developmental delays or are HIV+, or have any other special need, are perfect.

I’ve changed the way that I think about money and “needs”, and rich and poor. I used to complain about being “poor” because we are often stretched from pay check to pay check. I will never see myself as poor again. I used to open my fridge full of food and complain that there was “nothing to eat.” I will always be grateful to be able to be so picky.

In some ways, I’ve changed the way that I see my life on this Earth. My greatest calling, job and joy remains (and always will be) being a mother to my children and a wife to my wonderful husband, but I have started to see that there is much more I can, and want, to do. I can be an advocate for adoption, and HIV+ children and helping those who truly need it. I can educate those around me, and even in a small way, fight the prejudices against transracial families and the stigmas against people with HIV. Part of my heart will always be in Ethiopia and Africa, and I know that one day (hopefully many days) I will return and do my small part in helping the wonderful people there.

I have become more grateful for my blessings, and the things that we often take for granted…food, tons of clothing, medical care, medications, vaccinations, jobs, cars, educations, etc.

I have become less patient with “nonsense”…people fighting over parking spaces and other petty things. After seeing people with so little live their lives in such happiness, it is frustrating to see people with so much, being so miserable over things that don’t really matter.

Continued here...