Saying hello, meant saying goodbye…
Thirteen years ago I joined a group of
pre-adoptive families. Although it was only an online group, it was the most
supportive gathering of people I have ever known. The group was specific to the
Far East Region of Russia where we were all adopting from. As each member received
a date to go and meet their child, we would sing out praises knowing we would
all have a turn..Then we would all come home and wait for a 2nd trip
to attend court and finalize our adoptions. There were travel ideas shared,
hotel recommendations shared, and a host of other ideas to make that month long
trip a bit easier..What each of us knew was that once we came home, our anxiety
about travel and finalizing our adoptions would be behind us and we would slowly
stop coming to the online group, in order to put all of our focus on our
babies..
Are high-performing groups hardest to leave? Absolutely,
but the only people who left the group were the families who had finished the
journey. I lived, breathed, and ate Russian Adoption while going through it, now
we just live our lives.
Which of the groups that you participated in was
hardest to leave? By far, this group was difficult to leave, as it was such a
big part of my life for 10 months. After meeting most of the families who were
near me in the process, Facebook has thankfully brought many of us back
together.
What sorts of closing rituals have you
experienced or wish you had experienced? There was no closing ritual, more of a
gentle lack of posts and returned phone calls.
How do you imagine that you will adjourn from the
group of colleagues you have formed while working on your master's degree in
this program? Because my masters is work related, I don’t have the same connection
as I did while adopting, but saying goodbye is always difficult.
This sound like a great organization to be part of. This is wonderful to adopt children from another country. Every child need love. Facebook is a wonderful way to keep up with old friends.
ReplyDeleteYes this program sounds very wonderful and I have adopted children from foster care and this program would've help me better with knowing what to expect or share experiences of adopting. I think this program prepared families properly with the process. Thanks for sharing!!
ReplyDeleteWe tend to default to our habitual responses whether or not they’ve been effective in the past. As a result we often miss opportunities to enjoy truly meaningful endings — instead they’re rushed and poorly planned — or we skip over them entirely, casting the old aside as we race toward the new.
ReplyDeleteWOW! What an awesome group to have been a part of. The support that was given to each other sounds like it was life changing. Do you still keep in touch as a support group of new parents?
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