Motherless

Mother's Day has come and gone. Like me, you might have found yourself thinking much more about mom in the days that followed.  A chance to reflect on what this person has meant to your life and  a time, perhaps to  contemplate your own motherhood as well. I'm lucky. I  have one of those mothers who never raised her voice to me, never spoke an unkind word to me my entire life. One that taught me kindness and selflessness. I was so lucky, and I still am.

We lucky ones are in the minority, if truth be told. Over 143 million children in the world at this very moment have no mother to speak of at all.  Ponder that for a moment: no mother. They are motherless, and I can't imagine a more terrible label.  

In the six years since I adopted my daughter, my life has shifted in purpose. I find myself waking up each day with one persistent goal in mind - to lower that unfathomable number. 143 million is hard to even wrap your head around. It's impossible to really understand what it means, unless you have met one of them. In meeting one of these children, holding them in your lap and seeing their sorrow sap the life out of them, it's not only easy to commit to helping them, it's impossible not to.

Through my work  in orphan care and adoption advocacy, I have met an incredible array of people committed to lowering that number as well. One of them is Tammy Cannon of the non-profit group Project 143. This group brings over 100 orphaned children to the States every summer and winter to experience family life firsthand. Families across the country open their homes to these children, nurture and support them for a month, and often decide to adopt the child they  hosted. Hosting orphaned children has proven to be the single most successful way of getting older children adopted.

 As a representative for Project 143, I am committed to spreading the word about orphan care and  older child adoption to my community. Right now, Project 143 still has children on their photolisting just waiting for a family to commit to hosting them this summer. Children who dream of a family. Children who would be happy to just spend a few weeks with you and learn what the words 'mother' and 'father' really mean.

 Almost anyone can participate, married couples or singles.  You can host while hoping to adopt, or simply to give a child a break from their very difficult institutional life. You can be in your twenties or even your sixties! Even if you can't host, you can donate, you can advocate, you can make a difference just by spreading the word. There are numerous host programs in the United States to choose from.  

A child in a home. What is more wonderful than that? A motherless one now in the arms of a loving mother.  Can you picture anything more beautiful? To the right are photos of some children currently available for hosting.  What amazing things might these little ones teach you? What light might they bring into your world? What life lessons might you learn through them? Spread the word. You can make a difference. You can be part of the road that brings them home.