(Please remember that this is just a piece of my definition of adoption. For my full definition of what adoption is, you can read this whole series of posts here.)

Adoption is life changing.

To say that something is life changing is some what cliche, but in this case, it is also very true. Adoption IS life changing. It permanently alters the lives of all involved, whether they are birth parents, adoptive parents or the children being adopted.

Children who often had little hope for their futures, have hope for much because of adoption.

Parents who want children have a way to build their families because of adoption.

Parents who are unable to parent their children have a way to provide security and family for their children.

From an adoptive parent's point of view (which is the point of view that I have first hand), adoption has changed my life in many ways.

Before we started our first adoption, I would have described myself as well-educated, and I definitely would not have thought that I lived in any kind of bubble. I thought that I was pretty aware of what the world was like. I had done some traveling. I had graduated at the very top of my class out of over 500 kids in high school in New York. I did a ton of reading. But reality is that I did live in a bubble and I wasn't near as "educated" on the world as I thought I was.

I remember my first taxi ride through Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. I remember looking at kids, barefoot and dirty, huddling under a "tent" made out of cardboard boxes and trying to stay dry in the rain. I remember my first few minutes in the orphanage, and being overwhelmed by the sheer number of children, and then my brain slowly realized that this was just one orphanage of many in a city of many in a country of many. I remember trying to imagine ALL of those children without moms and dads, and something in my heart broke. I remember being ashamed of having felt "poor" and frustrated with our financial situation. My perceptions on a lot of things changed during that trip.

I remember my first few moments at AHOPE. I had expected an orphanage full of sick and dying children, and instead was submerged in happy, smiling, energetic kids who did not look any worse off than any of the kids we had seen at other orphanages in Ethiopia. I remember holding Belane for the first time and playing with those children and realizing deep down in my heart that I was being forever changed by the experience and that I would always be involved in advocating for HIV+ orphans.

On the lighter side of things, because of adoption I have traveled the world. I eat Vietnamese, Korean, Ethiopian and good old Southern soul food. I have books, music and art from many different cultures. I go to black hair salons. I celebrate new holidays. I have made new friends and gotten involved with organizations that I otherwise never would have. I notice and care about racism.

Because of adoption my views on many things have changed. My thoughts on what we "need" have changed and I have realized how very much we take for granted. My thoughts on what is really important in life have changed. I decided that I don't need brand new cars, fancy jewelry and name brand clothing, and that I would much rather invest my time, efforts and hard-earned money into raising children. My thoughts on "enough" have changed. I have a new mental "ruler" for deciding what is "enough money" and what is "enough children".

I look at my life now, and compare it to my life back in early 2001, before our first adoption, and the changes are drastic (but wonderful). I have done more, seen more and experienced more. I am involved in much more and aware of much more. My world has expanded by leaps and bounds. I love more and am loved by more. I am blessed more than I ever could have imagined.

Adoption truly is life changing.

*If you have not yet participated, make sure you visit this post and enter the fun giveaway for National Adoption Month thanks to Curls.