May has always been a confusing month for me as it includes Mother’s Day, then my mother’s birthday, then the anniversary of her death and then, the birthday of my eldest son.

Patience has never been one of my strong suits, which I put to having been a survivor of chaos for many years. New England weather challenges this in me every year and today is no exception. 

As an adoptee, my body and mind are accustomed to chaos and turmoil… or at least they used to be. This is what I knew best and I could adapt at a moment’s notice. The month of March reminds me of this, as living in New England means the weather changes every day and almost every hour. Its been a perfect match for me.

I am thrilled to announce that I have recently been awarded a small grant for the purposes of addressing the issue of stigma. My focus will be to address the issue of stigma as it relates to adoptees from the Windsor County area of VT.

The New Year is all about beginnings. My new beginning is that I have become a grandmother for the first time. As a former foster child and adoptee, I never imagined this was possible…

“In the negative social attitude attached to a characteristic of an individual that may be regarded as a mental, physical, or social deficiency. A stigma implies social disapproval and can lead unfairly to discrimination against and exclusion of the individual.”

As an adoptee, one of the hardest lessons I’ve had to learn (in years past), is how to make and take time for myself. Simply put, I was so busy trying to be accepted by others and to win their approvals that I never had any idea as to what I wanted or needed.

I don’t know about you, but learning to speak up for myself as an adoptee was incredibly difficult and has taken a lifetime to master. If you’re anything like me, as an adoptee, you have (or had) a tendency to either over share or under share…

Are you an adoptee age 16 or older? This is the stage of development when the frontal lobe is still growing and decision making becomes challenged, at best. During the ages of 16-25, the frontal lobe is still evolving and with it, a capacity to:

And just like that, the end of summer is rolling in. As a former foster child and adoptee, I remember my anxiety building as it got closer to a new school year…

As an adoptee, this is a question that has crossed my mind many times. Who do I want to be? Who do I not want to be? Will others even notice? Will I notice?

For me, June has always been about embracing the emergence of better weather after a long, cold, dark winter. In Vermont, we are finally in the early stages of summer which is all about growth. The flowers are exquisite, gardens are full of new seedlings, the trees shake their pollen everywhere and the birds are back in full force, reminding me to stop and pay attention to the life around me.