Interviews

As Jason & I were waiting through our adoption journey that really began in 2006, I found a lot of comfort in reading adoption related books. One particular book caught my attention immediately because of the title, “Adoption Is Another Word for Love” by Nancy McGuire Roche. While reading it I realized the quotes were from those that had been directly impacted by adoption, whether as a child or as a parent, to include; Faith Hill, Greg Louganis, Dave Thomas, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Bill Clinton just to name a few.

Recently, I pulled the book back out to revisit some of the inspirational quotes. This time a certain quote caught my attention immediately, “I’m thinking about all the things I wish I had said to people considering adoption. Like how deeply our two children have touched and enriched my life, far beyond anything that the classes and talks with social workers could have prepared me for,” Julia Lamb, Adoptive Parent.

THIS is the reason why being Mrs. International is so important to me. It’s not about seeing how many autographs I can sign, or how many photos I can have taken in my crown and banner. What it is truly about is, how many lives did my message touch. How many hearts were warmed? How many families decided to not give up? How many children will be placed in forever families? There is no way of measuring but again, that’s not what matters. What matters most to me…knowing that I DID say the right words to those considering adoption, knowing that I did help motivate couples who felt lost in the process, or that I counseled young girls to make adoption the right option for a baby they could not take care of. It matters that each opportunity presented to me…I shared our story of hope.

I said all of that to tell you how much I love the opportunity to interview and tell our story. During the Mrs. International Pageant interview was, by far, my favorite area of competition! To me, interviewing is an awesome opportunity to champion the cause you love. Since being crowned I have advocated for adoption in unique venues that I otherwise would not have had access to.

The first was as immediate as the morning after my crowning with Tiara Talk. Mr. International, my husband Jason, was also interviewed during the segment.

Mrs. International 2010 with the Host of Tiara Talk

Another unique opportunity was during the week of the Miss Teen International and Miss International Pageants. I visited the Illinois Center of Broadcasting and was a guest on the Jarrett Payton Show (son of the legendary Walter Payton).

With Jarrett Payton & Ernie. Ernie is Payton’s lifelong friend and co-host. During the interview, Ernie shared his incredibly touching adoption story!

I am grateful for the wonderful opportunities that have already presented themselves to me since being crowned Mrs. International 2010. To think that it has only been two weeks and that I practically have an entire year to maximize this blessing and take full advantage of every potential opportunity to promote adoption makes me more excited than words can even hint to.

Until next post, God Bless,

Shannon Devine