Last night, I got together for dinner with two of my sistah-friends, R. & L. Despite our professional and personal schedules, we meet up a few times a year to catch up and offer compassionate support to each other. I've known both R. & L. since my graduate school days at NYU, where each of them played a significant role in my coming-of-age as a twenty-something woman. L. showed me the ropes in my first professional student affairs position, and R. was alongside me as we both worked with students who were committed to bringing Asian American Studies and support services to the NYU community. Back then, NYU goers admired L.'s lofty locks as they hung elegantly and anchored her, so indicative of the confidence and intelligence she shared with students. And. R.? Her whipping enthusiasm and just-do-it! attitude was contagious.
Sixteen years later, each of us is on our own individual path to welcoming a child into our families through adoption. I am waiting for a referral from the Philippines. L. is gathering her dossier documents, so that she can become a mother to a child in her native Jamaica. And R. will be starting her adoption process to bring home a child from China. As I devoured my chopped salad dressed with grilled shrimp in a champagne vinaigrette, I couldn't help but daydream about future feasts, where we will most likely be joined by younger ones. I hope our celebrations won't end.
What a blessing it is to be waiting in the wisdom pool with women who reflect the values I so desire to pass along to my child. Mahalo to L. & R. for years of generous comraderie and sageness. And a most happy birthday to L.
