I am pursing a long time dream of mine to enrich myself, those around me, as well as that of a child by combining cultures and creating a family. Since as far back as I can remember I have always been interested in cultures and backgrounds that differ from my own. As I return from spending time in Guatemala with the beautiful little girl my husband and I are adopting I feel compelled to express my belief in the importance of children to our future as a human race. I believe that each and every one of us being from different nations, cultures, religions, belief-groups, and economic status share the same basic needs and desires. I believe at the core of each child and for that matter each adult is the enduring desire to be loved and accepted. I believe in the importance of focusing our efforts on accepting each other and embracing the richness of our differences. I do not understand the root of this intense interest I have in other cultures and ways of life, however I do know I have grown personally in leaps and bounds as a result of this thirst for knowledge of other cultures, nations and ways of thinking. As I approach 34 years of age and have spent years curiously observing those persons in my local surroundings as well as from distant nations I continue to be amazed at the richness of our differences but beyond that I am amazed at our basic similarities. Looking beyond the politics, the day to day activities, religious beliefs etc. and really listening to a person, really looking for that person’s core I have seen they are not as different as their outside appearance may appear. I believe if we all were to embrace the richness of each others cultures and diversity all the while acknowledging our basic similarities we would see we really aren’t all that different after all. I will share this belief with my new daughter and hope her to pass it on to others in her life also. I believe the answer to overcoming many of our global difficulties is to look at each other as not being from different nations but as each being a person with the same needs, hopes, and desires. This I believe!