Every child, regardless of their circumstances or where they live, deserves to experience unconditional love. At its core, unconditional love means acceptance, assurance and support — the kind of love embodied in a mother’s warm embrace. Yet, 153 million orphans around the world grow up without ever feeling that love, through no fault of their own.
Twenty years ago, my heart was opened to adoption. I had four biological kids with my husband, but I felt called to help a child that did not know what unconditional love was halfway around the world. That led my husband and me to China in 2004 to adopt a little girl with a cleft palate. Bringing that child, whom we named Mary, into our family was life-changing in ways I could never have anticipated. Adoption is not just an act of love, but a profound responsibility to nurture, protect, and advocate for a child who has already faced unimaginable challenges.
Upon returning home after adopting Mary, I could not sleep at night without thinking of all the children we left behind. Images of babies crying in their cribs with no one to hold and soothe them were imprinted on my mind. This led to our family adopting six more children from China, all with special needs. They were no longer orphaned, but members of our family and we would not be complete without them.
Through our adoption journey, I learned that love alone is not enough; it must be paired with patience, understanding, and consistent support. We went through many challenges as a family throughout the years, but what kept us grounded was and still to this day our love for one another.
The greatest gift in my life was through adoption. A gift that required me to dig deep into my soul to find the true meaning of life, which to me is unconditional love. When I look at my seven daughters, I don’t see “adopted daughters,” I see my children. Children who were always meant to be a part of me and my family.
Adoption has changed my life by not only opening my heart to love but also opening my eyes to see that different-colored skin or differently shaped eyes does not define the meaning of family. Family is created in our hearts, where we learn to see and celebrate the beauty of love in everyone and the unique stories that make us stronger together.
During this National Adoption Month, I believe others should consider adoption if they feel a calling in their hearts to answer the quiet cry of a child in need, or to provide a child with a mother’s arms, where they can be held, nurtured, and wrapped in unconditional love that grows deeper with every shared moment and milestone. This love that you will gain will forever reshape your life in the most profound and beautiful way.
Adopting was not just about giving a child a home to me. It was about finding a piece of my heart that I did not know was missing. I implore those who have ever considered adoption to open their hearts to a child in need and to experience the transformative power of love that knows no bounds.
Ann Bartlinski is the director of orphan care and medical intervention programs for Open Hearts for Orphans in Delray Beach.
https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/11/22/commentary-adoption-means-choosing-love/
