The Power in Knowing

It’s late on a Saturday afternoon, and I’m finally taking ownership of my favorite wicker lounge chair in the sunroom. I’ve been looking forward to this moment all day. Sufficiently wilted from transitioning the summer garden into Fall, I’m equally weary of writing deadlines, submissions, and emails. I settle into the floral chair cushions and let my gaze drift over the steep ridge of dune grass to Lake Michigan’s shoreline. Something about the steady, rolling pattern of the waves eases my weariness. It feels good to get out of my own head and be soothed by the vast landscape.

When Hobbes, my son’s Australian shepherd, scampers in and hops up onto the adjacent lounge chair, I don’t shoo him off the furniture. I understand Hobbes’ intention. Both of us appreciate a good vantage point, and the ability to see beyond the usual restrictions. We find power in knowing what is beyond the immediate.

Since my memoir came out in May 2021, one of the questions I’m often asked is: how has your life changed now that your book has made it into readers’ hands?

The simplest answer is that I enjoy connecting with my readers. It’s both an honor and a privilege to receive and respond to reader’s questions and comments. Hearing how my story impacts my target audience is something I take very seriously, and it is influential in the crafting of my next book. 

When a writer crafts a story, there are usually only a handful of people who have experienced it as it took shape. Often it is a spouse, a teacher, peers in a writing course, a critique group, an editor, or a reviewer. Beyond those discerning folks, an author has no clue as to how the world will receive it. When readers take the time to reach out with feedback, it’s deeply gratifying to the author. Immersed now in this stage of the writer’s journey, I find it heart-warming and validating.

There is another layer, a deeper thread, to this question: how has your life changed? And it has little to do with book publishing. 

Life was immediately altered for me when I launched my adoption search in 2010. It was transformed again when I located and connected with various birth relatives. Subsequently, the act of writing about this period of my life served to deepen my personal awareness, and it afforded me healing and growth. Essentially, by seeking out my background and family history, I found pieces of myself I hadn’t realized I lacked. As a result of completing my adoption search and crafting a memoir, I discovered my voice and a sense of purpose.  

Much like Hobbes–who shifts this way and that in his wicker chair so that he can study the beach beyond and the traffic below–I’m satisfied where I have landed. Daily life had been satisfying before I researched and published a book, but now the landscape of my life is broader, livelier, and richer. Sometimes we cannot know what is possible if we don’t challenge ourselves, shift our view, and consider new perspectives with an open mind. 

UPCOMING EVENTS:

• • October 6: Lisa T’s Book Club in Sarasota, Florida
  • October 6: Persistence U podcast with Lizbeth Meredith airs 
  • October 15: Private Book Discussion & Tea in Lake Forest, IL
  • October 18: Chicklits Book Club in Western Springs, IL

Mr. Brown’s Benet Alumni Book Club on 9/23 was rescheduled. New date is TBD.

If you missed my interview with The Honestly Adoption Podcast, you can listen to it here. 

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