The Flourish Experience

The cover art was created by 3 Flourish members. The original works were auctioned and prints were sold to support Saving Our Sisters.

When I met Anne Heffron and hired her as my adoptee writing coach, I could not have imagined what she would bring to my life. I heard her say in a NAAP Happy Hour something to effect of “if you are worried what people will say about what you write, is it that good of a relationship anyway”? How did she know that was what was holding me back? She immediately removed the biggest block to telling my story. She empowered me.

A few months into our writing relationship, I learned of her and Pam Cordano’s plan to start a weekly virtual meeting, Flourish, for adoptees. I was immediately drawn to the idea of building more close relationships within the adoptee community. Pam and Anne had forged a friendship that grew from hearing each other on the Adoptees On podcast and they wanted to share and build that for others. What they built was beyond even their expectations. Two groups of 25 adoptees met weekly for 12 months. At the end of that year, Pam and Anne had given me a family like I had never had before.

The mirroring adoptees give each other is beyond understanding. We need each other. With constant gas lighting from the non-adopted population and the need for explanation to others that oftentimes is misunderstood and not heard, walking into a room of fellow adoptees is refreshing. The hypervigilance can fall away. We can relax in the knowing and parallel experiences.

What I want most for fellow adoptees is to find a community like Flourish for themselves. To experience the healing of building friendships with other adoptees. That is why I took a personal interest in publishing The Flourish Experience: The Power of Adoptee Healing in Community. This book is a compilation of 23 writers and their time in Flourish. The end of the book includes the weekly writing prompts and monthly topics as well as every adoptee resource we could think of.

I am so proud of the vulnerability each writer shows in their pieces. Laid bare are the emotions and real experiences of being adopted. I hope you find comfort in their stories and are encouraged to reach out to other adoptees and use this book as a tool on your own healing journey.

Visit the website www.theflourishexperience.com to purchase the book. Proceeds will be donated to the Adoptees On podcast.

Much adoptee love to you.

Lora