At Home for the Holidays
At Home for the Holidays By Julian Washio-Collette I recently spoke with my biological sister with whom I’ve been in reunion for over two years. She had just read my latest blog post in which I fantasize about smashing everything I associate with childhood Christmases, especially those connected to the families of my adopters, with a baseball bat. Granted, at the end of the post, instead of smashing everything to
Adoptee Tears
Adoptee Tears By Haiku Kwon Endings are beginnings and beginnings are endings. Ouroboros consuming defined lines, blurring boundaries, making us infinite and divine in our mortal humanity. Another year of daunting challenge and struggle, overwhelming loss, and uncertain paths gives birth to the opportunity to reevaluate and redefine so we can be reborn, not in the ways expected of us by our birth families, adoptive families, or society at large,
Just Another Thanksgiving
Just Another Thanksgiving By Michelle Madden Ding dong. I open the door. It’s Jane (husband Ned’s aunt) with Uncle Charlie. Let the games begin. Jane enters and scans the room haughtily. “Well, hello there! I love this house. It’s a bit small, though. Where will you entertain? You look well. Look, before I forget, I brought an early Christmas gift for your mother-in-law.” “Er, thank you. Please come in and
The Octopus
The Octopus By Megan “Mac” McCarthy The octopus is a malleable beast, designed to get by in any circumstance
Santa Claus is Dead
Santa Claus is Dead By Akara Skye As a child, Christmas was the ultimate celebration. The feeling of overwhelming joy and anticipation. The enticing smells of gingerbread, peppermint, sugar cookies, snickerdoodles, hot cocoa, and buttered rum. My mom went to great lengths decorating the house. Hand-stitched stockings, vintage glass ornaments, nativity scene, snow globes, garlands, and wreaths. Twinkling tinsel on the tree, along with blinking-colored lights. My dad also enjoyed
The Protagonist
The Protagonist by Logan Juliano When my biological sister, Min Song, wrote that she liked me because I am cool, but that she’d also like me if I wasn’t cool, I responded, “Like a hostage situation.” I don’t speak Korean, so by “respond,” I mean translate English terms into Korean via the Papago translation app, convert it back into English to test the meaning conveyed, copy and paste a bunch
I Love You, You Should
“I Love You.” You Should. BY AUDREY B “I love you.” You should. Not because I’m great, but you can, even when I can’t understand. What could
Say Everything
say everything by shae lee I chuckled at a meme I nearly scrolled past the other day on Instagram. It said: This goes out to all of the girls who had report cards growing up that read, “Talks too much.” No surprise for anyone who’s met me; I was that girl, precocious and naturally verbose. Words form brightly in my mouth and find escape in the air, releasing unbearable pressure
LETTER FROM THE FACILITATORS
The holiday season asks a lot of us. Calendars fill up, and stressors often do, too—perhaps to a greater degree while in the midst of an ongoing pandemic and its continued hardships and losses.
Additionally, adoptees often wrestle with the holidays in unique ways. Are our birth/first families thinking of us? What holidays do they celebrate, and what are their traditions? If we’re in open adoptions or reunion, our loyalties may feel split between two families, or we sometimes wonder where we belong. For those of us late discovery adoptees (LDAs), we may question childhood holiday memories as we contrast them with new information received later in life.
Such were the circumstances under which adoptee-writers met for a four-week holiday mini-session. Together, we wrote our way through the holidays. Some of our adoptee-writers have chosen to share their words for the latest issue of the Adoptee Voices e-Zine, Solstice.
Solstice means a turning point. As you will see when you read their stories, these writers have reached a turning point—whether through greater understanding of their experiences as adoptees or in finding the courage to share their words. Reading through this issue, you’ll notice themes of heartbreak alongside themes of hope; suffering alongside strength; lament alongside manifestos.
These dualities embody the experience of the winter solstice—according to adoptee-writer Julian Washio-Collette, a time “we steep ourselves in darkness and quiet, anticipating and celebrating the coming light.” Please join us on this journey, and may you find comfort in the experiences and words of these adoptee-writers.
-Sara, with Alice, Ridghaus, Jennifer, and Kate