#AtoZBlogChallenge: A is for Artist, Adoption, And Now What???

A is for Artist. 

I am an artist. I am a playwright, I am a storyteller, and I am a solo performer. I believe in the power of story and I have made a career out of coaxing untold tales from people who believe their voices don't deserve to be heard. For the past 20 years this statement  "I am an artist" has defined who I am - until now. 

A is for Adoption

On January 13, 2015 my husband and I stood in a darkened hallway of a small government building in Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, China. On the opposite side of the door my 22 month old son, Jack, sat waiting. We took a deep breath, carefully opened the door, and in that moment everything changed. 

A is for And Now What???

I have never walked on the moon. Watching old footage of Neil Armstrong's first foray I can only imagine what was going through his mind. International adoption has to be a close second. One moment you are "just an artist" the next you are an "adoptive mom." I know many new parents feel the same way, but instead of a 9 month lead-up we had exactly 9 days to "report to China and meet and collect your son." 

Part of the work I do as an artist is to encourage businesses and non-profits to form and live their mission statements. My goal for the month of this #AtoZBlogChallenge is to explore where the mission of me as an artist intersects the story of me as an adoptive mother. Our time in China was filled with laughter, tears, adjustment and attachment issues, mind boggling bureaucracy, and more stories than I can share in one lifetime. Could there be a better springboard to launch the next chapter?