Erin’s “Happy Fourth of July” post over at the Transracial Adoption Blog really hit home for me. She speaks of the opportunities her children have been given by being adopted into an American family, and how she is grateful to be an American. She writes:

I am grateful this Fourth of July to be an American, and I am grateful that as an American, I was able to adopt my children internationally. I am grateful that my children are U.S. citizens, and that medical care, education, clean water, plenty of food and so many other things that we often take for granted, are no longer things that they have to worry about.

I was touched by her entire post, but the sentence “I am grateful that as an American, I was able to adopt my children internationally” has been playing over and over in my mind for the past few days. I’m not sure it’s something I ever really considered or gave any thought to until now. It’s something that I took for granted; international adoption was always an option in my life and I never gave a second thought to the people living around the world who may have the same desire, but do not have the same option. My child was in Viet Nam, and I was able to go and bring her home with me. It never occurred to me to be grateful to my country for uniting me with my daughter, but I now realize that I am.

I am grateful that (though it did involve a lengthy process and a good deal of paperwork,) our adoption was a smooth and relatively easy process. I am grateful that; as Americans, we are able to share our experiences and learn from others through the guarantee of free speech (though this right seems to be becoming increasingly threatened.)

Most of all, I am hugely grateful for the sweet little Vietnamese-American girl who experienced her first Independence Day in America surrounded by family and friends, playing outdoors, enjoying new foods and going to bed in her safe, clean room without a struggle because she was so tired from the day’s festivities. I am grateful that she has opened my eyes to a whole new world; one that is not always easy to acknowledge, but one that deserves our attention. As I think of how grateful I am, I remember the children who will not be adopted, who will face uncertain futures as they try to survive the present. They have helped me to realize just how grateful I am.

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