In honor of National Adoption Month, I compiled a number of adoption-related quotes to use on my Facebook page. I love quotes, so in the event that some of you appreciate them as well, I thought I would share them with you. Enjoy!

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“If there is one thing motherhood has taught me, it is the fact that part of being a parent is experiencing heartache and knowing that you would endure it a million times over because your child is worth it. That’s how I feel about adoption. The system isn’t perfect, parents aren’t perfect, and children aren’t perfect, but it doesn’t mean that we should stop finding forever families for children and teens and it doesn’t mean that we should stop believing in the good things adoption has to offer.”—Christina Romo

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“If a child is born and raised in a home that is loving and nurturing, where there is complete truth about who we are, you can’t give a child any greater place from which to fly.”—Amanda Bearse

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“Adoption is not about finding children for families, it’s about finding families for children.”—Joyce Maguire Pavao

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“How does it feel to be adopted? How does it feel to lose your birth parents, your medical history, your culture? As an adoptee, I experienced tremendous losses at a very early age. There is a void in my life that no amount of love or family could ever fill. Adoption gave me an amazing family who loves and supports me. My family gave me a place to call home. I will never say that I am “grateful” for having been adopted, because that means being grateful for the losses I have experienced, but I will say that I wholeheartedly believe in adoption.”—Christina Romo

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“You are with your family because they are meant to be your family. Family is not based upon biological makeup alone. There are plenty of blood relatives who don’t get along. In fact, I probably get along better with my family than some of my friends (who are not adopted) do. Family is about love, and adopted children should be confident that their adoptive mother is their ‘real’ mother and their adoptive father is their ‘real’ father. The same goes for siblings.” —Adoptee, 17 years old

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“Love is not a cure-all for an adoptee, but it’s a great place to start.” —Christina Romo

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 “Biology is the least of what makes someone a mother.”—Oprah Winfrey

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“There are no unwanted children, just unfound families.”—The National Adoption Center

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“The adoption journey doesn’t end when your adopted child is finally in your arms. The journey is one that never ends. It is a journey filled with joy and it is a journey filled with heartache. It’s the realization of one dream and the loss of another. But, is adoption worth it? Absolutely.”—Christina Romo

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“However motherhood comes to you, it’s a miracle.”—Valerie Harper

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“Adoption was a bumpy ride — very bumpy. But, God, was it worth the fight.”—Mariska Hargitay

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“Though your child has experienced a tremendous loss, it is important to remember that, while we may have our unique needs and challenges, adoptees are not broken and should be loved, cared for, and treated as whole beings.”—Christina Romo

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“Time and experience have taught me a priceless lesson: Any child you take for your own becomes your own if you give of yourself to that child. I have born two children and had seven others by adoption, and they are all my children, equally beloved and precious.”—Dale Evans

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“Adoptive Mom? I am a Mom. I need no other label or prefix.”—Joanne Greco

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“I really dislike hearing parents call their bio kids ‘my child’ and their adopted kids ‘my adopted child’. Children who were adopted are your children, too, and need no qualifiers.”—Christina Romo

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“Adoptive Mom? I am a Mom. I need no other label or prefix.”—Joanne Greco

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“Four Adoption Terms Defined

Natural child: Any child who is not artificial.
Real parent:  Any parent who is not imaginary.
Your own child: Any child who is not someone else’s child.
Adopted child:  A natural child, with a real parent, who is all my own.”—Pat Johnston

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“People ask me, ‘What about gay adoptions? Interracial? Single parent?’ I say, ‘Hey, fine, as long as it works for the child and the family is responsible.’ My big stand is this: Every child deserves a home and love. Period.”—Dave Thomas

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“They may not have my eyes, they may not have my smile, but they have all my heart.”—Unknown

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“My birth mother brought me into this world, but it was my adoptive parents who gave me life.”—Christina Romo

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“Adoption loss is the only trauma in the world where the victims are expected by the whole of society to be grateful.”—The Reverend Keith C. Griffith, MBE

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“Being adopted is having an abundant life, and more importantly knowing you are wanted.”—Sandy, age 17

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“It has been said that adoption is more like a marriage than a birth: two (or more) individuals, each with their own unique mix of needs, patterns, and genetic history, coming together with love, hope, and commitment for a joint future. You become a family not because you share the same genes, but because you share love for each other.” —Joan McNamara

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“Adoption has the dimension of connection-not only to your own tribe, but beyond, widening the scope of what constitutes love, ties and family. It is a larger embrace. By adopting, we stretch past our immediate circles and, by reaching out, find an unexpected sense of belonging with others.”—Isabella Rossellini

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“I think adoption is a blessing all around when it’s done right.”—Hugh Jackman

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This isn’t really a quote, but being that today is my dad’s birthday, I wanted to post something to honor him. This is an excerpt of my blog entry, “What My Parents Did Right”. I have never been more proud of my parents than I am whenever I remember this conversation with my dad. I am so proud to be my parents’ daughter!

“When I think about what my parents did right, my thoughts go directly to a conversation I had with my dad years ago. I was nearing the end of my college years, and I was heavily into the notion of “saving the world”. My dad and I had just finished running an errand, and we were sitting in his car in my parents’ garage, finishing our conversation. The subject somehow switched to adoption, and my naïve, younger self told him that my husband and I wanted to adopt someday so we could give a child a chance at a better life. I had always assumed that was my parents’ reason for adopting, and I was shocked, at the time, by his response. He told me that he and my mom adopted my sister and me for “purely selfish reasons”. He went on to tell me that they adopted us solely because they wanted to add to their family and chose to do so through adoption. My “save the world” self didn’t fully understand it at the time, but I now look back on that conversation and could not be more proud of my parents. They went into adoption for all the right reasons. For them, it was never about “saving” a child—it was always about forming their family.”—Christina Romo

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“When she looks in the mirror, we want our daughter to know herself. It’s hard to face the world when you don’t know where your face came from.”—Adoptive Parent

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“By choice, we have become a family, first in our hearts, and finally in breath and being.”—Richard Fischer

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“Love isn’t enough in adoption, but it certainly makes a difference. Tell me every day that I am loved—especially on the days when I am not particularly lovable.”—Christina Romo

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“Parenting is a gift and a privilege.  Adoption has healed my heart, and renewed my faith.  Each day, I am inspired to be the best parent I can, by the simple fact that our children’s birthmothers and God have entrusted them to us.” —Sherra Buckley

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“Needing to connect to one’s biology is so instinctive, that people when meeting your adoptive child will tell you, “Oh, look! She has your smile” or “Look, he has your beautiful hair,” knowing full well that there is no biological connection, but sensing the importance that your child needs to know that they look like someone.”—Adoptive Parent

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“We must work tirelessly to make sure that every boy and girl in America who is up for adoption has a family waiting to reach him or her…This is a season of miracles, and perhaps there is no greater miracle than finding a loving home for a child who needs one.”—Bill Clinton

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“Giving birth does not make a mother…Placing a child for adoption does not make her less of one.”—Unknown

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“We look at adoption as a very sacred exchange. It was not done lightly on either side. I would dedicate my life to this child.”—Jamie Lee Curtis

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“Our adoption journey will never end, and no matter how bumpy the road may be and regardless of where it may lead, the fact that we traveled this road together, will make all the difference.”—Christina Romo