There has been a whirlwind of amazing activity on the ether in the adoption arena as of late. In my Friday Follow fashion I’d like to point out these four;

1. Adoption Mosaic Blog features guest writer Melissa Konomos opening up my eyes and many others I imagine,  in her piece Beyond the Reunion: Dealing with the Realities of Post-Reunion.

2. On Laura Writes you’ll discover a gorgeous piece about her open adoption from the adoptee-sibling perspective.

3. See The Run as always writes another to the point, luscious piece inviting her audience to participate with such mastery and grace. This particular post On Moms, is about Mother’s Day, a first for her on more than one level. Because so many people follow her conversations, you are bound to find voices that resonate with yours. The birth mother who commented on her post might send you flying for the tissues too.

4. My Brown Baby’s joy for Sandra Bullock’s recent adoption felt so solid and affirming, I included it here. I have to say that I know nothing about S.B.’s personal story, but I will be following her now. She is in a position to model great choices in the world of transracial/mixed family/single mother adoptions.

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My most recent piece in Adoptive Families Magazine in their Living with Diversity section illicited the following response in the “contact” section of my blog.  I am sharing it for purely ego gratifying reasons, it was hugely validating on so many levels:

Just read your article in the June issue of Adoptive Families 🙂 As an African-American man, a father of an adopted son (private adoption), and a father whose family is now waiting to be matched via the fost/adopt program in our state your article spoke to me on SO many levels! The smells, the sounds, and the laughter that your son Sam has gotten (and will continue to get) at the neighborhood barbershop (as well as many other things you are probably doing) are going to affect him in so many ways for his entire life.  Only wish others who pursue inter-racial /trans-racial adoptions were as proactive as you. You go girl!!!!! 🙂

I’ll be asking James if I can reprint that on the back flap of my book.

Speaking of books, my little poetry/photography collection that I had printed for the silent auction during the faculty talent show last night, raised $75.00 for the school! It was a limited edition (two copies) but it came out so well, I am planning to do a similar edition to offer here. Details to follow! I read my poems Black Enough and Crazy Hair Day to a crowd of 500+ with ease this time. Marcel even joined me on stage for the second poem (to stop his crying), and Sam informed me in the car that my poems are boring. Hard to compete with the hip hop act, or the bass guitar and the waa-waa pedal…

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I promised my “New Crayon” post today, as inspired by the amazing Color Online (see link at New Crayon) but  I’ll have to come back to you with that one. I am leaving for the Moms Congress in, gulp, two days and haven’t begun to sort out the packing, the meals for the kids, the final sub plan, or how I am going to transition from this me to that me in Super Hero fashion my Sunday at noon.

Would love to hear from others who have read a particularly moving adoption piece recently, or who have someone or something they feel like we all should know about! Post a comment, or send me an email at mamacandtheboys@gmail.com if you’d like to approach it that way!