Past Published Articles

On Sept. 9 after nine years of being in several food therapy programs off and on with no success, my birth daughter McKenna cleared her first major hurdle since being born with food aversion. The first 45 minutes were spent with just she and the therapist from Cook Children's Hospital and then they called the adoptive mom Vicki in so she could see McKenna eat four pieces of cereal and drink some tea. "I cried," wrote Vicki. "So happy." They had been trying a different liquid daily at home '" apple juice, Capri Sun, chocolate milk, flat Sprite; anything McKenna wanted to try plus different broths. She still likes Chicken Noodle best. Vicki writes that McKenna might have somewhat have gotten over her fear of swallowing and hopefully she is on the right track now. "She wanted some Goldfish for dinner and I already packed her lunch for tomorrow with the cereal that she actually swallowed. It's Gerber Graduates Puffed Strawberry/Apple Ce...

They enter as potential dropouts, sent by the court to shape up. And 75 percent of them leave as high school graduates. The Nassau Halfway House, opened in 1975, is a combination halfway house/school in Fernandina Beach, FL that provides boys ages 14 to 18 a 90-day stay to learn skills, get educated, and make friends. Approximately 20 students attend the school, wear uniforms, and are taught by two teachers. The House is part of the Nassau County School system which provides funds to educate the boys who come from all over Florida. They learn to build things like rockers and pirate's chests and they learn computer skills while also getting educated about current events. Nassau House teachers are employed by the Nassau County School System and work with the teenagers as grades seven through 12 are represented in one classroom. Shirley Parker, former superintendent and principal of the school in 1990, said the teens emerge as new people by the time they leave. When she wa...

When I was nine or ten I remember going to my stepsisters' grandma's house with my stepsisters and my sister a lot and playing this game we only knew as "Tinicula." My stepsisters introduced my sister and I to it and who knows who introduced it to them but we would venture into the backyard where there was tons of bamboo sticks to choose from and, pulling apart a couple of long ones we would commence to play this jump rope game which I only recently found out originates from the Philippines and not Africa like we though and is actually an entire folk dance. You lay two bamboo rods down with one person holding two ends and the other the remaining ones. The third person jumps in and out of the canes as the other two people rap the rods twice on the surface, then bringing the bamboo together while the jumper jumps on the outside of the sticks now, careful not to get their ankles slammed. When you do, it hurts like crazy because you're playing this game barefoot. ...

Shawntae Chavez had just started high school and was getting ready to play in her first  volleyball game when she died from a deadly game. The game is called The Choking Game but it's also known as Space Monkey, The Pass Out Game, Breath Play or Choke Out and it's one that teens play to get a quick high without using drugs. They hold their breath, choke each other, or squeeze themselves till right before they pass out. More and more they are trying it alone as Shawntae did, using belts, bike chains, ropes; etc and then when the grip of whatever is stopping the blood flow to the brain is released it sends the blood rushing to the brain which produces a high, this euphoria they feel is from the bursting of brain cells and those brain cells are irreplaceable. However, if the person passes out, which takes approximately 13 seconds before whatever is used to stop the blood flow to the brain is released it could result in death from strangulation, which takes approximately 4-7 minu...

I've been a fan of Robin Williams since I was 12 when I first saw him on t.v. and his comedy helped me with my depression. And it has ever since. In 1982 I saw him in "The World According to Garp" with my fellow juvenile home residents at a fancy mall. The fact that I was in the kind of place I was living at the time and seeing the movie around the same time frame helped get me out of my depression. I kept up with him through the years and loved watching his comedy acts on t.v., always wanting to see him live on tour. I also love his charitable works and his sensitivity as well as his genuine personality. Then in 1988 my then-boyfriend and I went to see "Good Morning Vietnam" and it became one of my favorites of Robin's. Since then I've seen that movie a few more times and just last night it was on again and I had to leave it on. In the summer of 1989 I saw Robin, five-time Golden Globe winner, in "Dead Poet's Society" and once a...

Yesterday, March 6th my 14-year-old cat died who I had had since he was two. He would've been 15 in April. After a two-year medical condition he spent all weekend sick and when I carried him into the sunlight for his last trip to the vet to be put to sleep I talked to him and reminded him of how he loved to lay in the sun. The vet told me what I already knew - Chaplin was dying. Rewind to March 1993. I was given a furry condolence gift after my cat I'd had for five years, Kimba disappeared, never to be found much to my efforts. A co-worker of mine said she had another feline for me, a Tonkenese/Siamese male named Sidney who I renamed Chaplin as in Charlie Chaplin. He was long, black and white, had a tuxedo look and turned out to be quite the clown. He had been living with some other cats but didn't get along with them. My co-worker told me, "He likes beer and salsa but don't give him any!" I remember the night I brought him home and he was so hyper...

The past five weeks I have had the privilege of participating in a grief workshop that was offered through a non-profit organization. It was a great experience and I learned a lot. I was also able to have a little memorial service for my late boyfriend during the last class which was tonight. I never got to attend his memorial service (long story). There were 11 people who signed up for the workshop but only five of us showed and sadly two dropped out in the middle. During the first class the teacher had us list kinds of losses like death, friendships, money, jobs, pets, love, laughter; etc. We all told our stories which were varied yet the same in that we had all experienced all kinds of profound loss and hadn't been able to move forward. For some of us it was way too soon to move forward; for others we didn't know. We all agreed to confidentiality and formed a little bond among our small group as we discussed our losses and feelings, something some of our families a...

Back in 2000 when I was living in a maternity home I decided to make a scrapbook for my unborn birth daughter who was due in August. I wanted it to be filled with pictures, articles she could read when she was older, inspirations, mementos, sentimental items, cards, and anything else I could think of that would show her how much she was loved even though I was placing her for adoption. It took me four months to make it but only because I worked on it slow and steady, doing a page a day and I had plenty of time. Plus, I'm obsessive-compulsive so I went a little crazy filling it up. When I was done you could barely close it but I proudly gave it to the adoptive parents shortly after meeting them for the first time and explained to them what it was and why I made it. Here then are some tips on how to make such a scrapbook which is unlike any record of your life you will ever make for an unborn child: 1. Choose a big, sturdy, colorful scrapbook that will hold a lot, preferabl...

Courtroom sketch artists unfold the history of some of the most famous trials with the stroke of lead across a page. Heavy black satchels full of over 200 markers make up their professional lives. In the wake of more cameras in the courtroom some people believe that these unusual artists will disappear in the name of progress. Outlines become faces as testimonies emerge. Witnesses or defendants are often cartoons in themselves, so how do you draw a cartoon of a caricature? In between drawing, artists listen to details coming from the lips of those on the witness stand. Five years ago these artists made a couple of hundred bucks a day or more. Courtroom sketch artists fill the empty space where cameras are sometimes not allowed and they even have their own fraternity. Their work often promotes laughter among their own little group, more so than tears. Speed is also a factor if you want to be a courtroom sketch artist and their work can sell for as much as $10,000 a piece. Gary M...

Barbara Giordano,  jewelry  designer and adoptive mom to two children, handcrafts and designs bracelets and necklaces celebrating adoption for adoptive parents and their children. Each sale of the "China" and "Adoption Is Love" jewelry designs benefits the Half the Sky Foundation. Half The Sky (halfthesky.org) was developed by Chinese and Western educators working together in an effort to transcend the cultural divide. "As an adoptive mom of two children it is my personal pleasure to make jewelry with a meaningful adoption theme," said Giordano. "I'm happy to contribute part of the proceeds to a worthwhile non-profit organization. It is such a good feeling knowing my contribution will go to help an organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for children in China orphanages." Giordano started making jewelry after receiving a beaded necklace as a gift and last year her jewelry was featured at a fundraiser in Millbrook, NY for...

Open Adoption offers an opportunity for the child to build his understanding of adoption having his adoptive and birthparents as resources, according to Patricia Martinez Dorner of Adoption Counseling and Search. "During infancy, the child can be surrounded by family members from both families, acquiring a pre-verbal familiarity which will serve him well as his comprehension increases in complexity," said Dorner. "The preschool years typically bring questions regarding whether the child was born in his mother's womb." Dorner presented her findings at the Open Adoption Conference for Familes & Professionals in Colorado in 1998. She said that the school age years involve more complex thinking and more complex questions. "Identity issues have a central focus during the teen years," she stated. "During each developmental stage, open adoption offers avenues for building understanding." Regarding birth moms, one former houseparent who w...

On Betty Linxwiler's car is a Mother's Against Drunk Driving (MADD) bumper sticker. Glen and Betty Linxwiler of Woodbine, GA have empathy with the organization. (Source: Dalton Sirmans) Their 18-year-old daughter, Christina was killed in a head-on collision by a drunk driver in Nov. 1987. Christina was traveling on Osborne Street on her way to work at Gilman Hospital's nursing home when she was struck at 10:30 p.m. by the driver who had been drinking all day. The Linxwilers said it wasn't clear whether the driver was leaving the depot or a beer joint on Crooked River when she struck Christina's car. The driver's car came across the dividing line and hit Christina's car head-on. A male who was following the driver witnessed the collision 100 yards from the WKBX radio station. After their daughter was killed the couple contacted the Brunswick chapter of MADD. "They certainly were interested," Glen said. They offered literature, emotional su...

"This is the first of many letters to go to you. You are the sweetest and one of the most generous persons with who I've ever had contact. You gave the gift of McKenna to myself, my wife, and son. McKenna completes our family and gives me the opportunity to guide her with my wisdom and desire to be the best to her. I hope and pray every day that you are coping with the unselfish decision to let us have McKenna in our home. I hope and pray that the letters and pictures that we send are giving you the sense of knowing that your little girl is in the best of care. She is a little angel that is one of the most beautiful babies that I've ever had the opportunity to lay eyes on, or, for that matter, hands upon. McKenna is sleeping a lot but for her age this is normal I know. She has a wonderful laugh that my heart just dies to hear. I'm so excited about the holidays coming up. I've asked for Halloween off and the week after Thanksgiving to make sure her first Christm...

As a birth mother, having chosen the adoptive parents for your child, you may be wondering how to navigate the relationship between the three of you. I can tell you that being a birth mom for the past seven, almost eight years, I didn't have a clue as to what to say or not to say to the prospective adoptive parents or (APs) as they're called in the adoption community. Just starting out I was timid and decided to err on the side of caution when it came to disclosing too much information, making suggestions, and comments while having conversations with the APs. I got lucky because I wound up with adoptive parents who were open, non-judgmental, and wise when it came to a lot of things concerning my birth daughter. Luckily, they were both nurses because she had a medical problem which none of us anticipated before her birth. In the beginning I was aware that the APs might have only been given negative information about me so I took it upon myself to make my own scrapbook to g...

There have been various theories about how much a child can understand when they are told they are adopted. When I chose the adoptive parents for my birth daughter in June 2000 when I was getting ready to place her for adoption, the adoptive mom told me that my baby would always know she's adopted. McKenna, my birth daughter, knows she's adopted now. She's 7 ½. She recently got a 100 on her first school project on Macaroni Penguins. She also got a paper back and there was a question about "What makes you special?" McKenna wrote, "I am special because I am adopted! Her teacher wrote back, "Me too!" McKenna was so excited that her teacher was adopted and special, just like her. At our last visit in January, McKenna asked me, "What do you want me to call you?" The question kind of caught me off guard but since she has always called me Miss Terri, I just responded, "Terri or Miss Terri." When we said good-bye she said...

Known for its beautiful country, snow-capped mountains, green, grassy pastures, and grazing sheep, Iceland has gotten a little Americanized since the 80s. My sister, Cindy attended the University of Innsbruck in the summer of 1985 to earn school credits. Her Icelandic boyfriend, Kari, who went to school with her at Jacksonville University went along with her and they stayed with some of his family who still lived in that country. "I had a good time in Iceland but it was so different than home," said Cindy. "It felt weird to not be able to read the paper or understand anyone easily." Cindy and Kari stayed with his Aunt Edda in a "real neat old house." Also there were Kari's dad Beyngeir and sisters Una and Aia. "They ate all kinds of fish there ( a lot) and lamb and potatoes," Cindy said. "I was never sure what anything was going to taste like. Fashion was very 'New-wavish' And only three hours of TV came on there per day....