Hi all. It's been awhile so I thought I would catch you up on the goings on of the last while. Life is pretty much the same ol' boring work, sleep, pedal to the metal on the weekends as it has always been. So I decided to shake things up a bit. My special dad is now living in Ontario waiting for a heart transplant with the most amazing women by his side( my special mom).I have written a short book ( more like a long essay really ) of my life with foster care, my journey to and through it, titled Impressions of a Child; My Journey through Foster care. My original idea for this work was to use it to help as many people I can. I have been lucky enough to tour the set of Republic of Doyle, watch a filming of a scene which was very cool. When I watched the episode on TV I was so excited. When the scene I watched being filmed came on I said to Lisa " I WAS THERE!! I WAS JUST OFF CAMERA!!" Lol. There are a lot of people with varying opinions and experiences with foster care and my hope was that my story might help them in some small way. Although I was unsuccessful in getting it published my story has reached a few friends, colleagues, and family members that before now didn't know my story, what had happened to me other then my being in foster care. I reached out to the Newfoundland and Labrador Foster Families Association with my story and what I hoped to do with it. They embraced my idea and this past October I participated on a discussion panel at the Rooms hosted by Allan Hawco where we talked about the Foster Care system and answered questions from the Audience.  It was very interesting indeed. After the formal part of the day we mingled and I wound up holding an impromptu gathering in the foyer. I was speaking with a lady helping her with her questions and more and more people came over to listen. I was so humbled. I was helping these people making a very rewarding decision and I felt so blessed in doing so. So this coming Friday is a big day for me. I have been asked to speak at the 2015 Foster Family Symposium about my experiences with foster care and what it has meant to me. I am so very honored to do so.This will mark the very first time I speak in public at length about my journey. At the Rooms I simply answered questions. This time around it's just me at the podium telling my story, telling the room what it meant to me, what it has done for me. To say I'm nervous is an understatement of the century but with plenty of encouragement I received I know I will do just fine. I just hope I help these people in some small way. I just hope my story will serve as comfort and reassurance to someone. I'll let you know how it all goes.


Cheers

Mike