Per my last post on Wednesday, I was off to my first mini-Book Signing hosted by a friend of mine at her house. Her mom and sister were first to arrive and it was good to see them after all these years. This particular friend and I have been friends since middle school. I remember going to one of her birthday parties in middle school and it was probably the biggest party I had ever been to up until that point. It seemed like our whole class was there! I was extremely grateful she had offered to host this Book Signing and promote it to all her friends! Very generous and thoughtful!
The next to arrive was a young mom and her daughter (who was in 4th grade). After the mom had chatted for a bit, the daughter asked if she could get a book. Her mom said "of course" and to "share her story." The daughter had been adopted from Russia. I would have never known if she had not of told me. She was a very pretty young lady with long curly hair. She picked up a book and flipped through it and asked her mom if she could take it to school with her the next day. You could tell she was excited to get the book and show her friends, but she kept it pretty discreet between her mom and herself. It was very sweet. Her mom said she was really excited to meet a real author. It's still a little hard for me to believe, too, but it's definitely fun to see some one's reaction to you. That's priceless.
The next mom to arrive had children of her own, but they had been waiting to adopt a little girl from India going on 3 years now. What patience and resilience must her and her husband have gone through over the years, I thought. How amazing and what a blessing this unknown child will have for parents once she does arrive to join their family. Stay strong and keep the faith!
Another friend from middle school arrived who had already ordered a book and brought it with her to get autographed, and she bought another book for a friend. She was also adopted as an infant, so we shared our stories and perspectives on how society treats adoptees. It was SO refreshing to hear her views, too....because they were just like mine! It's always great to meet another adult adoptee who has had a similar experience as I and sees life the same way I do. It reaffirms the process, the amazing parents we had and that yes, there are people just like you out there!
The next mom to arrive had also adopted 2 children from Russia. She could empathize with those that were still waiting for their adopted children and relate to the initial growing pains of creating a new family. She'll be a great resource for those moms in the future!
A friend from high school came and she's also an author! So, we compared notes a little more and she gave me a lot of great advice and tips for marketing my book. She's such a sweet, giving and joyful person! I'm so glad we became friends all those years ago and have both followed the amazing opportunity God has presented in our lives to write a book, get it published and become authors...neither of us had a clue that would be part of our journey's back in high school!
And finally, the last mom to arrive was also waiting for their 2 yr old son from South Korea to officially become part of her family. She has 3 children of her own and right off the bat we discussed how some people react to them adopting another child after having 3 of their own. Her husband, daughter and herself had just gotten back from a trip to South Korea to see their son and get acquainted more with the culture. We talked about the adoption process, their trip...the culture, food, riding the subway, etc...it was so reminiscent of my first trip to Seoul (for work...discussed in my book). I'm extremely excited for her and her family for the impending addition to their family which could be in the next 2-4 weeks!
It was such a joy for me to know everyone that came to my mini-Book Signing had been affected by adoption in some way and that they came to share their stories with me. I loved hearing all their stories and meeting each one of them! I know they came to hear my story and read about it, but it's truly my pleasure to meet them! Thank you for sharing YOUR stories with me!! Blessings to you this week!
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