As usual I was listening to NPR on the way home tonight and my ears naturally perked up when I heard the “A” word. Russian Adoption Case Belies Many Happy Adoptions was the title of Eric Weiner’s piece about his precious adopted daughter – his “Buddha Baby” as he called her. There is no way that this dedicated and loving Dad’s love for his little girl is any stronger or more special than a biological father’s love for his child. One of my favorite lines was when he said that “love trumps genetics”. If you didn’t hear his story, I encourage you to pop over and listen. It will warm your heart and reinforce that adoption is a blessing.
It’s kind of ironic that on this day too, I received news from my daughter about an issue with my granddaughter that is possibly related to DNA passed down from my birth-mother. It’s nothing life-or-death related, praise God, but it is enough to cause us all concern. My stomach lurched when I first learned of the issue and second to concern for my granddaughter, the strongest emotion I felt was anger. In addition to the irrational guilt that I feel for this thing potentially coming through my DNA, anger that I thought I had buried toward my birth-mother surfaced almost immediately.
DNA, heritage, history, all of it doesn’t stand a chance next to the love I have for my granddaughter.
Something resonated when I heard him say it, and now I echo the words of Eric Weiner.
Love Trumps Genetics. Every Time.
Linda, I’m so sorry to hear sad news about your granddaughter, and thank goodness it isn’t “life and death”. But any affliction is tough.
Last week I was listening to a replay of an interview Aware Show host Lisa Garr did with Les Brown, the renowned inspirational speaker. Les spoke quite a lot about the fact that he and his twin brother were adopted by Mamie Brown when they were infants. “God whisked me from the womb of my birth mother into the arms of my real mother,” he proclaims.
IMO, that line belongs up there right along with Love Trumps Genetics.
HI Sharon
I love that quote! It’s true in my case as well.