Sharing Stories Together

Part of the fun of being on the road is that you never know what story is about to unfold. It could be that you're about to meet someone like Maria from Puerto Rico who has more sizzle per second that most of your state-side friends could muster when combined. The woman seriously talks on a whole new speed. I had to keep pinching my ears in an effort to keep up with her enthusiasm & gaiety. Or the next amazing story could be the dedication of an individual teacher who shares ideas of how she plans to incorporate my work as the new school year gets underway.

Then again, it could be the kindness of a couple who take the time to share the miracle of their own story as you personalize a book for their son, 'Ben'. That's proud mom & dad beaming in the final picture, having just shared their story with me. The story of how they wanted to adopt a child and if they were to be given a boy to love they'd wish most to name him Benjamin. A funny thing happened on their way to Korea to incorporate the sausage of a little four month old into their hearts. They went with the idea of 'Benjamin' and they came home instead with "Ben Ji-min."

It turns out that their son's birth mother had already given this wee wonder the name "Ji-min" in her native Korean. His first name Ji meaning 'wise' and his middle Korean name 'min' (after the hyphen) meaning 'meek.' So in the end their son gains the Hebrew word meaning son, "Ben" and his official middle name in this country is "Ji-min" and that gives the proud parents the son they adore, Ben Ji-min, son-both-wise-and-meek. Their five and a half year old has the blessings of two continents and a guardian angel like none other apparently. His smile in mom's cell phone shines the love he feels. And I have yet another chapter for my awesome adventures in too amazing-to-be make believe annals. Stories that make you go, awwwwwwwww.