If there is such a thing as a favorite word mine would be Open. It carries special meaning for me.
Not that I’m anxious to have open-heart surgery, open up a can of worms or even
an open-face sandwich. But think of an open-house, an open mind or that Open sign on a store-front. I have two
personal reasons for embracing the word.
When my youngest daughter was born deaf my wife and I set
about to teach her how to lip-read and speak. We were guided in creating
situations in which Janice was urged to say the word, open, to make the world move for her, to make it her own. We
confronted her with boxes, drawers, lids and doors…anything that would lift at
her saying the word as in Open Sesame. Open
became her first word and a portal to the hearing world.
Years later when my eldest daughter, Shari, sought to adopt
children I was so pleased that she went the route of Open Adoption. The concept
of Open Adoption enabled me, as a grand-parent, to enjoy an extended family
beyond anything I’d imagined. Shari went on to become executive director of the
agency which operates in Oregon and Washington. They now also facilitate adoptions
nationwide including many same-sex couples. Here is the link..........
I have had the pleasure of getting to know Faith, the birth-mother
of my grandson, Gabriel, over the years. Though we are separated by many miles Peggy and I have joined her for Thanksgiving dinner as well as other shared
experiences. I hope, someday, to meet my
grand-daughter, Adrienne’s birth parents as well….another opening, another
show.
Open in all its
dimensions suggests inclusion, and a welcoming. One knows it is right because
open arms feel better than clenched ones. It’s a joining, a bringing together
without needless walls or secrets. As in the case of my deaf daughter, an open
adoption is a way for a child to make a life of his/her own. Children enter a world
of transparency with the option of a wide reach of half-brothers and sisters in
loving relationships.
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