Today is the last day of 2007. This is the last day that adoptions in Guatemala will be processed under the old system. Tragically, this could be the last year of adoptions from Guatemala.

It has been a difficult year to be a blogger for Guatemala. I’ve had a difficult time remaining optimistic about the future of Guatemalan adoptions, and been busy defending adoptions from lies and inaccuracies spread by the media. I’ve also been made even more acutely aware of the corruption that was part of some adoptions, although I don’t believe the majority.

Thousands of children have come home from Guatemala to join families that eagerly awaited them. Yes, they are truly families, because anyone who has adopted knows that you do not have to be genetically related to be a family.

In addition to the chaos in Guatemala, there has been increasing tension in the adoption world between birth/first parents, adoptees and adopting parents. Many adoptees and birth/first mothers are against adoption, be it domestic or intercountry. Even some adoptive parents are questioning the justification of adoption. I can only say that I am and will remain a strong supporter of adoption. I would also like to remind people that we should be careful not to speak for others and make sweeping generalizations.

Looking over my blogs, I’ve chosen a few of my more recent ones that I think were my best. In response to an adoptive parent’s article about listening to all the voices of adoption, I responded about the voices that are never heard.

Child brides and their tragic lives was the subject of this blog; many girls in Guatemala and world wide get married and give birth before the age of fifteen.

And moving more into the political arena, I spoke out against UNICEF in this blog. This organization sees adoption as the “last resort” for children, and they are a strong component in the anti-adoption rhetoric we are hearing around the world. Meanwhile, according to my dear friend, Sandra Hanks Benoiton who is a brilliant blogger, writer and adoption advocate, the number of orphans in the world is 200,000,000. Hard to fathom...

Adoption agencies came under fire in this blog of mine, and I want to remind prospective adopting parents to come into the adoption arena educated and agency savvy.

Last, but most certainly not least, I blogged about my daughter Ella calling her my little miracle. Ella has been the motivation behind my fierce advocacy for parentless children, and also the joy of our lives since we adopted her. I never forget that she was born to a young woman in Guatemala, but I love her as deeply and passionately as I love my three biological sons. My heart does not differentiate, and that is yet another miracle.

I would like to wish a Happy and Healthy New Year to all my readers, and may 2008 see the number of orphans in the world reduced. After all, every child deserves a family.


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