User Profile

I began composing a family memoir about growing up in the 60's-70's and 80's as an adopted kid here in CIncinnati. The project started summer of 2002, and I have finished the work now....July 2nd, 2008. I still do edit sessions though. My motivation: Other than the fact that many people I know have made comments like, "Oh you could write a book with all that!"....or..."You should go on Oprah!", my real reason for writing came about when my children began to as questions about who was related to whom in my family. You see, I don't have just a family tree....I have a family ORCHARD, complete with fruit trees, steady and never- changing evergreens, mighty oaks plus a few coconuts!

My kids never had the honor of knowing my 2 grandmas, and they barely remember my father. Through my writing, I have been able to somewhat re-create their essence, and that has been a cathartic and awesome experience for me. It has helped to keep their memory alive in the minds of my daughters, who, IMO, deserve to know these incredible folks. I tell stories and rememberences of family times and friendships while I was growing up in the 1960's and 1970's and ultimately how I reached the decision to seek out my birth family after 26 years of denial and fear on my part. As the family increases, keeping who is who organized will only become more complicated, and I figure this book is my little corner of the hugely awesome and complicated landscape of ancestors and modern relatives.

The struggle to fit in, feel accepted, live with a dark secret and the frustration of forbidden information are running themes throughout the book, which many teens and young adults will be able to relate too. Readers who are themselves a part of the adoption triangle: birth relative, adoptive relative or adoptee, will derive meaning from this book. Professionals in the fields of education, law, social work and therapy might find this tale interesting. Finally, anyone who enjoys family "dramedy" stories and or Cincinnati buffs and those who groove on "memory lane" themed material will be able to identify with the imagery and references to the times and settings referred to in this memoir.

In 6th grade I was first inspired to write by reading DIARY OF A YOUNG GIRL by Anne Frank. I was also inspired by watching John Boy Walton journal on television. Writing became a form of therapy for me during a time in youth when peers turned their loyalties toward more beautiful, wealthy and outwardly successful people, and when my family suffered through several losses, and I felt afraid for what bad thing would happen next. I knew I always wanted to become a teacher. My best subjects were art, English and Spanish. I totally suck at math. My hero type people growing up were my 2 grandmas, Frances and Elsie. Outside of family, I admired Carol Burnett b/c she was funny but people still could take her seriously, Elizabeth Montgomery b/c she was beautiful and the Cincinnati Reds, especially Johnny Bench, b/c I grew up being a baseball fan during their peak era in the 1970's, before streiods, booze, betting on baseball, tax evasion and other such crimes gave professional athletes such a bad name. I graduated from FSU with a BA in "multi-lingual / multi-cultural education in 1983. I got married to my high school sweetheart on 10-20-1984. I searched for and found most of my birth relatives in 1987. My kids were born in 1989 and 1993 respectively. (2 daughters) I have 5 cats. I am fluent in Spanish and run a 1/2 time tutoring biz out of my home at night. My birthfather, (who had lived in denial about me for 15 yrs), and I re-connected in 2002. I have worked in traditional high school Spanish 1, 2 and 3 classrooms, started a special needs Spanish program at one school, switched to pre-school, did one yr of Kindergarten and now am working as an aide in a multi-handicapped "special ed" room. Through my own business and jobs, I have found many ways to make use of my education degree in the workplace. (not to mention how I have been able to help my own children.) I have managed to avoid burn out by changing enough. Teachers who think narrowly and who are on a power trip scare me. It's sad, but I know they are out there in both public and private schools. I've met them. I get tutoring business off of their students who feel stomped on and pushed away by their intolerance and elitism. Spiritually, I was reared to be a Presbyterian / Methodist, found that it was phony and not the real me, but always struggled with doing the politically correct thing to keep the peace vs. striving to explore ideas which support my own beliefs. As a child and teen I was fascinated by Judiasm. That interest came from books I'd read and the fact that my best friend from school days is Jewish. I experienced 'paranormal' occurrences in 1981 when my grandma passed away. I now believe more in general spiritualism, Wicca / Paganism. I am fine with whatever other people believe, but anyone of any faith who is super extreme and insecure about people who think diversely worries me. The best trips I ever took were to Spain as an exchange student b/c I learned so much and formed a life long friendship, and to Hawaii with my hubby and 2 kids in 2004. It was the most exotic and beautiful place I have ever seen once you get out of downtown Honalulu. Pearl Harbor sent a shockwave of awe and patriotism throu my soul. My totem animals are kitties, doggies, turtles and dolphins. Perhaps there are others, but those are most prominant. I am an Aries. I was born in the year of the Ox, I believe. That about covers it. I would be happy to share pieces of my writing with anyone who says they are interested. I am always looking for critiques and ways to make it better. See ya on LJ.....P.

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