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Published Monday November 30th, 2009 at 7:41am

Original Article by Kelsey Stewart

As this year's National Adoption Awareness Month comes to a close, I find it the perfect month to have this cause fall. I am a birth mother and I have been for a very long time. I am now married with two wonderful boys who have taught me the true meaning of life; to be thankful for what you have because you never know what life will bring you. It got me thinking about what this month signifies as a whole and how it pertains to adoption.

The fact of the matter is, when I learned that I was pregnant and wanted to place my child for adoption, I had to ask for help. Help. When most people think about adoption and a birth mother's role in the process, they probably do not think about it as the mother asking for help. But that is what it is. I needed someone to help me raise my children. I do not like asking for help, I never have. I am strong willed and hard headed. However I knew that I needed help, and it was very hard for me to ask for it. I was ashamed and unhappy with myself that I was in the situation, and now I had to ask for the help of strangers? It was difficult for me to do, but I did it. I was then, am now, and always will be grateful to my adoptive parents for seeing past all the labeling and helping me with such a great request. I believe that it is incredibly brave to be able to admit that you need help in any situation, and since I am quite biased to the birth mother point of view, I am not afraid to tell you that I am proud to be a Brave Mother who asked...and has since has been able to see my children grow into incredible people.

So what do we do in November? We all gather to give thanks for the blessings that we are so fortunate to have. I am sure that there are thousands of couples who give thanks to their birth mothers for their courage and giving hearts. Just like there are thousands of women, like me, who give thanks to the wonderful parents who are loving, caring, and raising their hearts. I say little prayers every Thanksgiving for my adoptive parents and the Good Man above for giving me the strength, courage, and guidance to create two more families in this world. It's the perfect holiday that falls in the perfect month for adoption awareness.