2022 has been an exciting year of collaborations for Every Family’s Got One. Each time we work with a storyteller and put on a kick-ass performance for our audience, I am in my happy place.
Here are the 2022 collaborations that made My Happy Place Cup Runneth Over …
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-Our Southampton EFGO Storytelling Show and Dawn Nagle Gallery Art Show.
-Being a guest on Lori Holden’s Adoption Podcast, The Long View.
-Presenting at the Adoptive Foster Family Coalition of New York (AFFCNY) Conference.
-Being a guest on AFFCNY’s Podcast, After the Kids Move In.
-Producing a storytelling show for AFFCNY’s Annual Fundraiser.
-Reconnecting with past EFGO Writing Mentorship clients to work on new projects.
And on a personal level…
-Joining a Book Writing group.
Yup, I finally did it. I know I have a book inside of me and it’s a good feeling to have support to get it down on the page and see where it goes.
-Joining a Book Club.
Might not seem like a big deal. And of course, it’s never feels like a big deal when Book Club is weeks away, but sure enough when the day arrives, it’s a struggle to get myself out the door.But I go, damn it, because it’s something just for me. It’s pure enjoyment to read books and hang with some cool women.
-Rallying Around My Parents.
Okay, I wouldn’t call this new Life Chapter of Parental Concern remotely fun. It’s not. It hurts. Yet even with the ache, and maybe because of it, I know what the needs are right now…
Holding hands with my dad, reading to him about the D-Day invasion (he’s a big history buff), and seeing his eyes light up.
Rubbing his back and remembering when he would say, “I’ll give you an hour to stop, Babe.” He doesn’t speak now due to Aphasia, yet he can sing every word to Elvis’ Return to Sender, isn’t that crazy?
Planning things to do with my mom, like going shopping in town, taking her out to dinner, having her cook us dinner (lol).
Finding the funny on a Zoom call with my brothers. The lighthearted laughter that erupts from dark conversations about DNRs and random family memories that pop up.
It is really something, a palpable something, to stay present to these moments, feeling the pain and happiness and love in equal parts.
This is what “family” is. This is why family stories are everything.
Thank you, Family, for being here.
Hoping you get to enjoy your family and the simple moments. Also hoping you’ll start writing you family story now so you’re ready for our EFGO 2023 Call for Stories coming soo!
If you need inspiration, check out our blog, past shows, and listen to the EFGO Podcast.
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