National Adoption Month? So What!

White Ribbons represent Adoption Awareness

It's that time of year. For those of us who are in the realm of adoption we are aware of what November brings. You may be one of those who posts religiously to raise awareness. You may be one of those who completely turns off the adoption reading for the entire month. You may be wondering what the hell I am talking about, adoption what?

This was the month chosen to celebrate, or criticize, the whole concept of adoption. Believe me, you do not have to look far to find it, just Google Adoption Awareness Month. There are entries after entries about the topic. Feel free to explore.

And not to be a hypocrite, I too have written endlessly about November. Just look to the label section of this blog and click on Adoption Awareness Month. 

But today, November 6th 2012 is a different day. Not your typical November day. It is Election Day in America. No, I am not going to swap the awareness in this post with pushing my political agenda. I do not have one. This is America and in a democracy everyone is entitled to their opinion, their vote. Instead I am going to encourage you to vote, because so often there are many who will not bother. But instead of watching the political rallies, the pomp and circumstance, I ask that you instead Google Hurricane Sandy and find footage from today. 

I ask you to do this because every four or five years our country suffers a natural disaster that reminds us how vulnerable we all are, and how life can change in an instant. There are parts of the Eastern Seaboard that are ruined, destroyed, left defenseless and people are scrambling to find help, to find food, to find water. We all heard about it for a few days, saw before and after pictures, heard stories of horror as the storm pounded so many towns, cities, burrows that will forever change the landscape and mindset for residents. It was reported on, but as of yesterday the attention ceased to make way for reports of polls and undecided voters.

Decided or not, take a moment from National Adoption Month to read a little about what is to come regardless of the Election outcome: there is another storm on the way and it looks to be salt on the wound, and may just push all that we have seen to the brink. The temperatures are dropping. The water from the storm will be cold. The winds will pick up. There is no electricity. No transportation. There are people who are homeless and cannot find help anywhere. I watched tonight as people called into a show (somehow they were able to air something other than the Election) and they were begging for help. There is no order, no plan. People are living in the streets, in other's garages, in overcrowded shelters and not one of them can get emergency help.

The States have told people to go Online to find help. There is no electricity, no computers if there was electricity, and no homes if there were computers in them with electricity hooked up. Simple things are gone. So much attention was given and help promised from many, but where is the help? Outside of these communities helping themselves, where is the help that was promised? Where is FEMA when New Jersey and New York need them? And where are the politicians? They were there for the cameras a week ago. Media will tell you that our President did a great job with the Hurricane, but as I write this he just repeated for the 1,000 time that Osama Bin Laden is dead. Great! But there are Americans suffering right now, on our shores, in our country. Why are you not talking about this, encouraging volunteers to get there and lend a hand? Katrina was talked about for a month, yet Sandy only a week?

It's all been put on hold because it is Election Day. Bad timing, but it should make you think. Is this how you would want to be ignored if it was your community?

Help bring awareness today to something we all should be paying attention to, the Hurricane Sandy aftermath. Instead of focusing on adoption awareness, just for one day help bring awareness to those that need it right now. In adoption, we know loss on many different levels. Some of us on levels others could never understand. Well just like us, there are thousands of people right now that are suffering loss that no one can understand. On top of that stress they are looking head on into another storm that will only hinder efforts to recover. 

Because we are a democracy, we have the freedom to choose what we bring awareness to, and today I choose to make everyone aware of this fact: folks on the East Coast need help. Election Day or not, people need help. National Adoption Awareness Month or not, people need help. Please don't forget this. If you have time, post or tweet or do whatever it is that you do & raise awareness for our fellow Americans.