Marian Henely is a cartoon artist based in Austin. Many of her works have been featured in Glamour Magazine, LA Weekly, and the Dallas Morning News. Marian used her artistic forum to describe her journey of adoption. "The Shiniest Jewel" is an exciting read filled with emotion, heartache, humor and love. I found the read compelling and Marian, herself, simply inspiring. Although for the purposes of my blog, Marian has provided some additional inights in the writing the book and her personal experience. But you must get a copy of the book in order to truly appreciate how her illustrations effectively captured the emotion behind her journey.

"When I adopted William I had just turned fifty. Many of my friends and family thought I was crazy. Maybe I was, but we could all use a little of that craziness from time to time - to take a leap off the cliff and do something entirely new, no matter how old you are. In my case, I learned how to love."

When asking about her life at the time of adoption, Marian explains:

"My boyfriend lived hundreds of miles away in Nashville, and my future son was halfway around the world in Vladivostok, Russia. I had to move some mountains to pull us all together into a family. Adoption is hard."

Why was the process hard? Marian shares these thoughts,

"If you want to adopt, either in America or another country, you are subjected to intense scrutiny medically, financially, and psychologically. Strangers pry into the most private areas and make judgments about you. You've got to jump through all the governmental hoops. If you're a control freak, adoption is not for you. The difficulty of pregnancy and labor can be significant, but at least it's private. It's just between you and your body."

So was it worth it? Marian responds:

"If I had to, I would jump through any hoop for William. Almost every day, he says 'Mom?' and I say 'What?" and he says, "I love you.' Completely unprompted by me!"

Worth it indeed!

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