December is a Busy Month

December is an odd month for my family because we have three birthdays to celebrate.  My wife’s, my youngest daughter’s, and my dad’s.

Plus, you know, Christmas.  So it’s busy.  Add to that the fact that our oldest daughter is moving all of her things out this month, and the business travel I have to do in January is starting to look like a vacation.  I’ll be in seven cities talking with book people about The Original Ginny Moon.

I didn’t think that, as a writer, I’d get the chance to talk so much.  I thought being a writer was all about the writing.  And it is, when I’m working on a draft.  But there’s always an idea that drives the writing.  In the case of The Original Ginny Moon, the idea is adoption.  Next month I’m going to have the chance to talk with a lot of people about what made me write the book, and that means I get to tell them how much it means to have had the privilege to adopt.

Yes, it was a privilege.  Because a lot of people love the idea of adoption, but just aren’t in a position to do it.  Maybe they have plenty of room in their home, but they work long hours.  Or maybe they’re already taking care of multiple children or a parent.  Whatever you have going on in your life, it’s probably a lot.  But my wife and I were in a position, right after we were married, when we didn’t have a lot going on.  We wanted children of our own (and ended up having two fairly quickly), but both of us had always, always wanted to adopt too.  Why wait?  We couldn’t think of a single reason.

And like I said, it’s not every day that a person is in a position to do that.  Families are hit with major events all the time.

But I want everyone within earshot to know that we gained a ton from the experience.  We learned from all the classes we had to take, everything from the effects of childhood trauma to raising teenagers.  We met and formed powerful relationships with foster parents, social workers, and therapists – even our local fire chief.  Most importantly, we had to learn how to work together in ways we never expected, acknowledging our differences and strengths as a couple, and learning how to cope with our own shortcomings.

And as if that wasn’t enough, we gained a daughter in the process.  The young lady who we adopted as a young teenager is twenty years old now, and (as I said earlier) moved out of the house.  Her journey became ours, and all of us are better off because of it.  My wife and I hope to adopt again someday, too, probably after our three-year-old is in school full-time.  We’ve got an empty bedroom now, and we’re not so great at leaving those empty.

So I’ll be traveling soon, and I’m super eager to talk with folks about this topic.  It means a ton to me to have been able to adopt, and to share the experience with others.