The other day I was on the Facebook page Adoption Truth and Transparency Worldwide Information Network and I saw Jenette and Janine, the Vance twins, were offering up (as is their style), an amazing act of generosity and creativity.

This is what I saw:

I'm wondering Adoption Truth and Transparency Worldwide Network if you received the email? You have been entered into a unique drawing valued at $10,000! My twin sister and I have been working on this project for months to make this happen. Believe it or not, this is what we are going to do for our Adoption Truth members (& @adoptiontruth Instagram followers) A special drawing to win an experience my sister and I created so that you have an opportunity to have your voice heard! Because you are a member we've added your name to a special raffle. You can earn more opportunities to increase your chances to win! The winner will get to hang out with us (the co-founders) and we will treat you to dinner and a two-day writing sabbatical. From this experience, you can have a book written about you! You can keep it private or we can publish your story -- if you want. You are in control. This is a one-time ONLY once-in-a-lifetime drawing. 

This is a $10,000 value. Visit https://adoptiontruth.org/ for details. Follow us here on Instagram --> https://www.instagram.com/adoptiontruth/

The drawing will happen at the end of December, 2021, and the winner will be drawn from the combined pool of Facebook and Instagram followers (links in the above paragraph).

When adopted people show up for other adopted people, crazy good things can happen because no one knows our needs better than one of our own. Mirrors reflect us, and when we feel seen, we can show up and live up to the gifts we carry but have often hid because we don’t want to show our adopted family just how different from them we actually are.

I believe you don’t have to be a “writer” to write your story. You just have to be a “liver”, someone who has stories to tell. If you have a desire to tell your story, you will figure out how to use words to communicate. How do I know this? Because I’ve been teaching writing for decades, and I have never ever ever met a single person who couldn’t figure this out. No one ever was so frozen no words came out.

No one ever.

The people who did feel hopelessly stuck, in my experience, needed someone to ask questions. They needed someone who was deeply interested in the story, in them. They needed to feel a sense of urgency: Please, please, tell me your story. Please let me in to your life. When you have an audience, telling your story feels natural. It feels like connection, like love.

I dare you to go for it.

What do you have to lose? Your silence? Your fear?

I bet you’re better off without those things anyway.