April Showers...

We've definitely had our share of spring storms so far this month and a few more to go to close out the month.  A lot of strong winds, lightening, and huge hail that has pummeled cars and houses.  It's been an active weather season so far, but April showers bring May flowers, right?!  Actually, most of my flowers have already bloomed!  My knock-out rose bushes are blooming, as well as, my irises all around my house and my favorite, peonies!

I just read this on Facebook, "Don't hate the struggle it's the catalyst for strength."  When storms come...i.e. obstacles, challenges, trials, accidents, tragedies, set-backs...don't get caught up in the whirlwind of it all, acknowledge it, settle into it, push through all the mess and chaos of it, and come out the other side with more clarity, more courage, more self-awareness, MORE STRENGTH!!

It's the storms in our lives that push us forward to where we need to be...to a greater self-worth, purpose and outlook in our lives.  So, learn from the struggles, the pain and the heartbreak by feeling however you feel, embrace those feelings and feel peace in the pain knowing that God is standing beside you...always!  Be at peace with his presence, his words, and his grace.  His light shines in our darkness so that we may shine our light on others on the other side of our pain.  Just hold onto HOPE...always!!!

No matter how strong the storms, the flowers will bloom when they are ready!  Trust in the Lord!  Blessings to you these last few days of April!!

Panel Post Mortem

How did my first speaking on a panel about adoption go?  It went great!  My mom went with me and we met a lot of great people there.  I wasn't nervous at all and sat on a panel with 3 other adoptees.  I got to share my story, my message(s) to parents and my humorous perspective on growing up as an adoptee.

I got several laughs throughout the evening and hopefully provided some insightful information to everyone.  I enjoyed sharing my experiences with others and also enjoyed hearing the other panelists' journeys.  One happened to be the daughter of a guy that played basketball with my older brother in high school!  What a small world!  We had never met before and she also brought her mom to the event.  She had been adopted when she was 19 years old after she had aged out of the foster care process.  So, it was nice meeting her and her mom.

And, it's always fun to meet and have 1-on-1 conversations with people after it's over.  I appreciate their feedback and even sold some books (which is always a plus)!  My mom even chimed in a couple times during the panel discussion, so I'm glad she was there to help give another perspective to the parents attending.

As my mom and I were walking out we were both really happy and excited about how it all went.  We enjoyed meeting everyone and really appreciated the opportunity to share our stories with them.  It was a lot of fun and I'm glad my mom was there to share it with me!  We were both definitely energized by the experience!

I wish I could do that full time...speak at events, go to book festivals and do book signings...but alas, real life reminds me I need to pay my bills!  But, hopefully I'll have more and more opportunities to fit those things in as they fill my heart and make me grateful for all the great new people I meet.

Hoping your heart is full with blessings the rest of this week!  Mine is!!

My 1st Panel...

Tonight I'm speaking on my 1st panel about adoption!  I'm excited for the opportunity to share my story in this format with other adoptees.  It should be an exciting and new experience, so wish me luck!

I've set-up and listened to many panels before, but this will be the first time I'm actually participating in one.  It's not supposed to be a big crowd which is probably good for my first one.  I'm just happy to have the opportunity to share my story and hear other's stories.  As my last blog reflected, we all have our own stories to tell...it's up to you on who you tell and in what format.

I'm just blessed and grateful for the new experiences and opportunities I've been presented as a result of writing my memoir.  As I've mentioned before, I never had the dream of becoming an author or even sharing my own story, but sometimes opportunities find you and you just have to go with it!  That's exactly what I did and it's blessed me with meeting hundreds of people and hearing their stories!  It's been an honor.

So, stay tuned and I'll let you know how it goes tonight on my next posting on Sunday.  Until then, many blessings to you today!

We All Have a Story....

We all have a story to tell...our own.  As we get older, the story is more refined, told with more context and/or understanding, and hopefully appreciated for it's meaning and/or purpose in our lives.  Every day our life unfolds in predictable, non-predictable and surprising ways.  Day after day, week after week, month after month it starts to tell the story of our lives.  

These days social media allows all of us to tell our stories more publicly and as often as we want....that can be good or bad depending on how you view it.  As part of an adoption group on Facebook I regularly see the posts in my feed from adoptees all over the country.  And most of the time I'm saddened and heartbroken for many of their posts of rejection, heart break, soul-searching, identity crisis, and family (both birth and adoptive) issues.  Understanding that it's their story and they feel comfortable enough to share it with others is brave and they are reaching out for solace, advice, and comfort.  But, it also makes me feel helpless that there's really nothing I can do for them.  Also, because most of what they share are things that I haven't had to experience growing up.  It reminds me daily how lucky and blessed I've been to live the life that I have.  As I've said before, all adoptees and adoptions are different.  There's no one way or standard of doing things.  We are all different...feel things differently, have a different perspective on adoption and our self-worth...it's complex and can be complicated for many adoptees.

For many of the issues posted on this Facebook group page, I know I can't solve any of their problems but wish I could give them a little hope or inspiration.  And perhaps with my memoir, Corn-fed with Rice on the Side, I'm able to give them that little glimpse of hope.  That was part of my intention for writing the book...to help other adoptees hopefully see a little bit of themselves in some of my stories and gain strength and confidence knowing they are not alone.  That's MY story and I hope by sharing it through my memoir (and even this blog) that I can help just one person see their true worth and value in themselves!

Blessings to you and your story!!

Looking for New Opportunities

Life is all about timing and the present opportunity you are facing.  Most times you don't know what new opportunities will come your way and some times you work hard toward creating your own opportunities.  Either way, what you do with those opportunities when they come around is what's most important.  Do you let them pass?  Do you seize them straight away?  Do you ponder them?  Do you throw them aside?  Or do you appreciate them?

What kind of opportunities am I talking about?  All kinds...personal, professional, spiritual, etc.  It's what makes life interesting.  What we decide to do with the opportunities that come are way can shape our futures, determine our path, and/or change our lives forever.  Not all opportunities are completely life changing, but some can be.  Yes, we make decisions all throughout a typical day, but those aren't the opportunities I'm talking about.  The ones that provide a job interview or job acceptance, the ones that move you to go on another date with someone, the ones that take you out of your box and into a new light...the ones that allow you to grow and discover new things about yourself.  

How do you approach opportunities?  Fearfully?  Excitingly?  Ready to pounce?  Depends on the opportunity I'm sure, but either way they come and they go.  It's up to us to decide whether we're ready to take it on or let it pass.  Sometimes it takes more courage and foresight to let an opportunity pass.

Whatever opportunity comes your way this week, embrace it, sit with it for awhile and then make the best decision for you!  May you have many blessings and much confidence in the decisions you make today and everyday!!

Book Festival Post-Mortem

How did my 1st book festival go?  Well.  Slow. But, educational!  For my first book festival, I wanted to start off small to see how it went and then go from there.  There were around 65 authors at this book festival, so a lot of experience and perspective to tap into throughout the day.  The whole experience went well...no issues or problems...and everyone was extremely friendly so that helped too!  But, it was slow going...meaning, not a lot of foot traffic or attendees showing up which made for a long day at times.  So, that was pretty disappointing not only for me but for all the other authors that spent their time and money to participate in the event.  And, I believe a few of the authors made that clear to the organizers....so, not sure I'd go back to this particular event, but I did meet a lot of great people there!  And, they provided some great insight into what has worked for them, what events they have attended or plan to attend, and how they've engaged with their target audiences.  So, it was very informative and educational in that respect.  It was nice to get to know so many other local authors and hear their stories into the publishing world.

So, now I know what to look for in a book festival, what will suit and attract my target audience, and where I should spend some promotional time in the future.  Now, I just need to pick and choose wisely which events to spend my time and money.  I've got a pretty good idea so stay tuned!

And finally, thanks to my mom for going with me and sticking it out with me all day!  It definitely helped the day move along a little quicker with her by my side plus she's a social butterfly and talked to a lot of the authors, too!  I think she got as much insight out of the day from talking with other authors as I did!  So, it was a worthwhile first book festival experience and I'm grateful for the opportunity.

Hoping you have a blessed week ahead full of new experiences!

Don't Forget....

Don't forget to come see me this Saturday, April 9th from 9-4 pm at the Patterson-Appleton Center for Visual Arts in Denton, TX if you are in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area!!

I'm looking forward to participating in my first book festival and hopefully it won't be my last.  If there is a book festival near you, please let me know and I'll look into it.  I'd love to get out and meet you, as well as, other authors this year.  I wish I could make it to all the larger book festivals out there, but I'll probably have to pick and choose based on timing, travel and other expense costs for each festival.

Check back on Sunday and I'll give you the lowdown on how my first book festival went.  Until then, blessings for the end of your week!

1st Book Festival!!

If you are in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area, come by and see me next Saturday, April 9th from 9-4 pm at the Patterson-Appleton Center for Visual Arts in Denton, TX for the North Texas Book Festival!!

It's my 1st book festival so I'm excited to participate and meet other local authors....as well as, meet you and hopefully some of my local friends, too!  So, come on out with your friends and/or family to support your local authors!

I look forward to seeing you next Saturday at the North Texas Book Festival!!!

Blessings for a wonderful 1st full week of April!!