Exciting news on the horizon...

Hello dear readers,

As my blog analytics tell me, you readers have been faithfully visiting my blog, at least a few hits a day. I can only imagine: you click through from some other site reference or because a Google search led you here...only to find disappointment that I have not posted since March! Mea maxima culpa.

As my faithful friends and readers know, I work in education - but I'm no longer in the classroom. This means that my work schedule goes through the typical ebbs and flows of an academic year, but I also work through the summer. In addition to this, I've been quite involved with our local church youth group. As hard as I try, I have not been able to successfully post regularly during the spring seasons while at my most recent job. Ah, well, there's always Spring 2013.

Nevertheless, there are exciting things happening in my life and the world of adoption: plenty of articles being written and new connections being made around my most recent home in Western Massachusetts.

1. I'm preparing revamping my identity formation presentation to deliver a brief opening keynote at a student diversity training program for Smith College (my alma mater). Very excited to be working with some amazing student leaders and adult leaders in social justice education and diversity.
2. At the invitation and encouragement of a fellow Smithie, I attended a non-profit Board Fair where local non-profits were looking for volunteers and to find potential Board members. While I was there, I met the Director of the Hampshire County Big Brothers Big Sisters (as it turns out, we have at least one friend/colleague in common) who let me know that BBBS has started an adoption mentoring partnership, pairing "little" adoptees with "big" adoptees from the area colleges. Wow! It's so exciting to see this work happening in my own backyard. Stay tuned as to how/what capacity I will be involved with this pioneering program.
3. The program above is made possible through a partnership with the Rudd Adoption Research Program, which has major initiatives throughout the year, including an annual conference (put that on my calendar for next year!). Sad to have missed the 2012 conference - it featured some amazing speakers and well-known professionals in the field of adoption.

So that's what's new and exciting on the horizon. Next up: thoughts on an NYT article my mother sent me...

My Summer Journey

Oh my! Did June go by without a single post? *sigh*

Well, I've been quite busy with being a mother, and with my full-time job. But now that summer has started, it allows me time to work on some personal evaluation and growth. Here's where my summer journey has taken me so far:

I have been able to nurture and explore a little more into my own adoption journey. I started to read "Journey of the Adopted Self" by Betty Jean Lifton. Her writing helped me to discover myself at a key point in my life, however I just could not bring myself to finish this book. Perhaps another time.

I am also taking part in a writing workshop, "Voices of Adoption" that is occurring about once every other month. It's led by Andrea - who also has a blog: The Sought-After. My hope is that between that workshop, blogging and writing on my own, I will be able to continue my journey into my adopted self.

Top on my summer reading list is "Life on the Color Line: The True Story of a White Boy Who Discovered He Was Black" by Gregory Howard Williams. The main motivation for reading this at this time is that Dr. Gregory Williams will visit my workplace (Abington Friends School) on October 22, 2009. However, I look forward to reading his story about being biracial...and wonder what levels I will connect with him as a multiracial adoptee.

Oh, and I think I've discovered a new heroine in diversity work. Her name is Carmen Van Kerckhove (pronounced Van Kurr-Cove), president of the diversity education firm, New Demographic. Her approach to diversity work is exactly what I have been looking for - and to promote - and, she is an Asian mixie, too! Woo-hoo!

Where is your summer journey taking you?