This post is not about adoption per say, but perhaps it gives a little insight on my desire to adopt a special kind of child. Yesterday as we sat in the waiting room of the clinic that provides Ethan’s therapy I was privileged to see two of the most beautiful people I have had the pleasure of encountering. When I say beautiful this is not to say that they were physically attractive but that their presence was beautiful. These two young girls age eleven and twelve both receive therapy due to being born very premature and both have global delays and are clearly mentally challenged. They had not met before but were immediately drawn to each other and made their introductions and were fast friends. The thing that struck me most was how happy they were, the pure joy of simply being themselves. It is something that many children with cerebral palsy and many other conditions that cause a variety of “delays” share….they may be physically and mentally challenged, but they are spiritually gifted. When I look at these people, who in our world have more right or excuse to be depressed, angry, resentful or negative about the lot life has presented them with, and yet they aren’t, in fact they have more hope, more courage, more happiness than their peers who have more typical lives. There is a little boy, a few years older than Ethan, who sometimes shares a therapy room with us who also has CP, however, it is spastic quadriplegia and he has painful contractures, it is clear from his cries that therapy is agonizing, but when his session is done he always has a huge smile for his therapist. If only we could all be that forgiving, harbor no resentment to those who have wronged us. There are so many qualities that seem to be part of what makes up these special children that I admire and aspire to. They are genuine, they are loving, they are forgiving, they are patient, kind, and always willing to rise to a challenge. I see something amazing when my own son interacts with people, strangers. He is inviting and warm, his smile welcoming and contagious and it makes people pay attention to him, want to talk to him and be near him. It doesn’t matter that he can’t walk and that people can’t understand him when he talks, that he is different, he loves life and this is a quality that many of these children share and that is why they are so beautiful to me.
