On a day in 2001 that most Americans remember very well, the phones in our office were silent. That lasted for about a week. And then they began to ring.

We put on brave faces and carried out our regularly scheduled fund raising activities, pushing ourselves through the depression that seemed to have gripped the spirits of people all around us.

All along the phones were ringing.

We gulped as each initiative raised less money than we needed in order to meet expenses, while the phones kept ringing. “Tell me how to adopt.”

With each phone call came a surge of energy. We’re not down. We’re sad, and we’re hurting. But we’re not down! The Adoption Exchange made it through the financial scrapes and bruises. And we saw adoptions increase by 5% in the months following 9/11.

Seven years later – just about the time people were beginning to let go of their fears – came the economic crisis that brought our financial institutions to their knees.

But the phones kept ringing. Our email in-boxes were flooded. And here at The Adoption Exchange we counted a 20% increase in adoptions.

What does this mean?

In order to understand patterns of behavior Heifetz, Grashow and Linsky* recommend using a mental technique of “standing on a balcony” to observe.

What I see when I stand on the balcony is this – adoption is one of the ways society renews itself. In concrete ways adoption creates new starts after tragic mistakes have been made. Adoption alters the outcome of quarrels between family members, cultures and nations.

Funny. They don’t dress like the gurus in the movies. But it’s as if adoptive parents – these wise givers of hope – are saying, “Pay attention! Don’t get distracted by things like the economy and hypes of terrorist attacks, or prejudice. Don’t be afraid. Look at the future. See the children.”

You can see some of the children here.