Louisiana answers yet another email from an adoptive parent, this time a man in Florida.
Monday, February 14, 2005, 10:17 a.m., C.S.T.~
Dear Eddie~
Thank you so much for writing; it is so nice to hear from you, and it is equally nice to know that what I do impacts the lives of others! That means so much; thank you for the nice comments regarding my book! I am so glad you enjoyed it!
Thank you, too, for telling me about your wife, Minka, and your beautiful children. They do sound like such wonderful, loving children! I am sure you and Minka must be wonderful parents to adopt kids nobody else may have otherwise wanted! This is something that Bill (he's my husband) and I have talked about after we lost our third biological child, and we haven't regretted it for a minute! God brought us these Miracle Children into our lives, and they are growing so fast! It seems like only yesterday when we only had Johnathon and Ronee'; now we have Gemini, Gisele, Jeraldo, Roberto, Benjamin, Sergei, Starlight, Sunshine Lee, Andre', Barbara, Steffi, Dwerlina, Dianna, Deborah, Danita, Louise, Elise, Kecia, Gloria, Jameela, Trude, Sylvia, Richard, Michael, Anh Kim, Lightning, Melizza, Tanya, Kwame', Christiana, Rhiannon, Monica, and all the others! Sure, most came to us with heartbreaking physical (or even mental) disabilities, but they have proven to be very loving children with such sweet spirits about them! It has gotten to the point to where we can't imagine our lives without any of the children!
Yes, Betty Jo does seem like a very nice person. I haven't met her in person, but I feel as though I already know her! I HAVE met some of the people I write to on a regular basis (the Williams family from California, the King family from Alaska, the Reichards from here in Nashville--Fred, the father, works with my husband at Wal*Mart!--, and the Pearson family from Texas), but I haven't met the Masons from California, Betty Jo, or you. LOL I have found out that we in the adoption community are very supportive of one another, and I have enjoyed my time in this endeavor.
As if I am not already busy enough, I work at a large metropolitan hospital as a charge nurse, and I also write on a very regular basis. I just found out that my second book has been accepted for publication, and I have already started working on Book #3, which is a sequel to my first book, "A Family Made out of Miracles And Rainbows". I also regularly contribute articles or stories to adoption or parenting publications, and I am happy to say that some of my articles have been published.
But I will soon have some time to unwind: I am having back surgery on the 24th of this month (it is something that I can't put off, I am afraid; I have had to live with severe back pain and disability for most of my life; it all started when I was nine, when I fell out of a tree!). I am not looking forward to it, but if I can get rid of this pain I have had for so long it may just be worth it. I also may find that I will no longer need crutches in order to walk, and that is something that I am really looking forward to! I will be off work for at least several months until my back heals, and I should have more time to myself as I am healing.
What do you do for a living, Eddie? Do you or your wife work, or are you mostly "homebodies"? Have you lived all your lives in Florida, or are you from another state? I haven't lived in Tennessee all my life: I lived in Louisiana until after the deaths of our kids (I guess we wanted to get away from the memories and the heartbreak); we ended up settling in Nashville, Tennessee, and the rest is history, as they say.
I will be sending you an autographed copy of my first book (free of charge); that way you will have your own copy. So be on the lookout for it in the next few weeks! Hopefully by then I will be out of the hospital! (I can expect to be in the hospital for a few days after surgery; that way, they can keep a close eye on me. Hopefully, no complications will arise!) Just keep me in your prayers, is all I ask!
Well, Eddie, I will let you go; I am fixin' to go on my lunch break, and I can then eat and email some of my other friends that wrote back to me. Until next time, take care, and God bless! Thanks again for writing!
(((HUGS))) and love, your new friend in Tennessee, Louisiana in Nashville. :)
Note: Since my husband's cancer surgery 4/25/05, this book content has been integrated into the public speaking content for audiences interested in a sassy approach to personal and/or community awareness events. Another chapbook on intimate love poet
Monday, February 14, 2005, 10:17 a.m., C.S.T.~
