November Is Adoption Month!

This is the time of year that we think about family, friends, loved ones.

Salvation Army will be ringing their bells, giving trees from various organizations will be appearing in the malls, stores, community centers.

You'll have many opportunities to give material things. But you know, in the end, that's just stuff. We have so much stuff clogging up our houses, our minds, our hearts. Isn't it time to give?

The question of the day is: Do you have an empty space in your heart, in your life, in your home? Is there room in your life to give a baby, a child, a teen, a forever home?

November is Adoption Month.

Now is the time, if you've ever thought about adoption, to go get hooked up with your local county offices. Seriously.

People think that adoption costs a lot of money. No, it doesn't. It can be darn near free.

If you choose to go through the county, you can do what's called foster/adopt. Basically, you get certified as a foster parent, then a child that may soon be available for adoption is placed in your home. When the child is available, you're first in line.

Yes, there are many hoops to jump through to do this, but think of this, while you and your family are having a lovely holiday season, children are being removed from their homes, never to return. Children who may have NEVER had a Christmas or Chanuka or Kwanzaa or other holiday celebration.

Some of these kids have never had a real home, a real family. They've been lost in the system for years, bounced from family to foster care, to family, back to foster care. That's no way for a child to grow up. All children deserve a safe place to grow up. All children deserve a forever home.

But think about it. What better gift to give a child, than hope and love and a forever family?

A few informative websites:
http://www.davethomasfoundation.org/
http://www.adoptivefamilies.com/
http://www.solanocounty.com/resources/Health&SocialServices/UPDATE/November07.pdf
http://relativechoices.blogs.nytimes.com/