31 for 21: Beautiful to You

My friend, Katrina M. who is in the process of adopting Carlene,(Anya's friend from her baby house,) gathered some before and after pictures of children with Down Syndrome who have been rescued from orphanages and institutions in Eastern Europe. She put them all together in a video to show at the Reece's Rainbow booth at her local Buddy Walk in California.   She did a great job, and the song she included (by Janice Kapp Perry) is perfect.. Enjoy!

               

Did you like the picture at the end with all the kids with DS surrounding Christ? The artist (who's pictures all depict Christs love for each of us as individuals) is donating 40% of her sales to Carlene's adoption fund this next week. Go here to learn more.


You know how when you're a parent, you can see the beauty in your children like no one else in the world can, and you wish that everyone your children meet would see them the way you do?

I think it's kind of like that for those who love someone who has Down Syndrome. They are in on the secret! They *get* that people with Down Syndrome are capable, gifted, fun to be with, NOT a burden... and beautiful! The problem with society is that they just aren't in on the secret. They just haven't learned it yet!

Oh how I wish that everyone in the world was in on the secret, too. If they were, there would be no need for Reece's Rainbow. At all. Because people would keep these babies!

I really, really hope that some time in my lifetime, the "secret" will be out.  Or at least to a LOT more people. 

The sad reality is that it will probably take decades for this to happen.  And in the meantime, people are still giving up their babies when they learn of their diagnosis. There are thousands of children with DS in other countries who are wasting away in institutions. All because of misunderstanding.

When you look at these faces, what do you see?  Can you sense any portion of the "secret" that I'm talking about?

Can you see the "after?"

Can you sense what these little souls will contribute to a family? To society?

 Celine has been waiting so, so long for a family. I remember reading about her way back before we knew that Anya was the one for us.

Is there room at your dinner table for her?  Maybe you can get a bigger table...

What about any of these gorgeous kids?

If adoption isn't in your cards, could you donate a little to any of their grant funds? It would make it that much more possible for someone to commit to adopt them.  There are hundreds of families out there who would LOVE to bring one of these precious little souls home. It's just too overwhelming to raise all that money. 

Help be the change. 

If you're in on the secret, share it!

Let's all help give abandoned children with special needs a voice.

Let's help give them the chance to be in an "after" picture!

Now that's what I'm talking about!