My personal journey.
Good morning to you, all.
I'm both pleased and daunted by this opportunity to visit with you. I've followed the discussions in this forum closely, and when Dream Teller invited me to speak here I have to tell you I experienced several moments of panic, for two reasons. First, I'm no where near her league when it comes to public speaking and second, because she made no request of specific topic I was to address. When I expressed my doubts she encouraged me to be myself and speak from my heart. Okay, truthfully, the panic still resides with me but with my dear friends, Kaithlin and Garth, beside me to cheer me on, here goes.
A small town in Louisiana has been my home for twenty-three of my twenty-eight years (Garth is chuckling because he says I make twenty-eight years sound like eons). I have no clear memories of my first four years of life so what I'm first going to tell you was told me by others. I lost my parents and older brother when I was six months old. At that time we lived in another state and I had no kin to take me in, so I was placed in an orphanage. I remained there for two months or so then I was placed with foster parents; the first couple in a succession of five, before I was adopted at the age of two. A few weeks before my fourth birthday my adoptive parents died in a car accident and I was then taken in by an aunt and uncle; my mother's sister and her husband (I had never met or heard of them before). They had four children of their own and I was told I didn't bond well with them so they gave me up and I was again placed with foster parents. From that point I remember some things but others had to fill in the blank spots for me, until I was old enough to grasp and retain the facts of my situation.
Why am I telling you about my life? To reveal to you the goodness and kindness of certain individuals who are willing to step into the breach and rescue a child, who might otherwise have fallen through the cracks of society, as so many do. And so I continue with what I learned and what I remember.
My biological parents were true Witches whose ancestry dates far back (I 'm now in possession of my family history, thanks to some wonderful folks I will bring into my story in a moment). My dad was a Warlock (his parents long dead and he an only child) with a strong outgoing personality; a world traveler from an early age, and my mother was a quiet, shy woman (also an only child without family) who'd never strayed far from her small town roots, with the gift for healing both people and animals. Those who knew them, intimately, were surprised that they made a match, much less that it proved to be such a perfect match that my dad immediately changed from being a globe trotting rogue of sorts into a settled, family man. They and my brother were victims of a long-standing feud between my dad and a Wizard, and no one really knows how he managed to catch my father unaware; just that he did. If not for the fact that before he died my dad was able to inflict fatal injuries upon his enemy, I would have died that night, too. As my parents weren't members of any coven and that part of their lives was secret but to a very few, I was whisked away into the Outsider's system before anyone could get word to my dad's best friend in Louisiana (Witches look out for their own).
By the time he received the message, and being a young, single male, it was impossible for him to get custody of me, short of kidnapping me. But that part of my story doesn't end there, for which I'm eternally grateful. During my journey through the system and even after I was adopted, my dad's friend, a Warlock himself, and his family and friends, kept close tabs on me as they worked to figure out a way to get custody of me, without calling attention to the fact that they were Witches (Pagans are frowned upon to this day), and they knew no child would be released to their Kind. As most of you know, an extensive investigation is done into the lives of those who seek custody or to adopt a child, and the chance of discovery couldn't be taken by this family. They turned to another friend, also a Witch who is an attorney, and he paved the way for my return to my dad's home state.
Rather than chance the adoption investigation themselves, they went to a childless couple (Outsiders who are friends and allies of the family of Witches) and that couple was more than happy for the opportunity to try and adopt me. With the secret financial backing of Witches (amazing what spreading money around will do) the attorney and that couple came to my aid. A number of strings were pulled, favors were called in, and with Witches helping Witches across the country, the process began. It was two and a half months before my fifth birthday when child services turned me over to the couple and their attorney and I traveled with them to Louisiana, which I would later discover was where my dad was born. I was blessed to become the child of that wonderful couple, the only parents I've ever truly known, and to be welcomed into the hearts and homes of my Kind. I now have a mom and dad, a wealth of friends, and I'm forever grateful that I grew up knowing I'm a true Witch rather than having to discover it alone, and learn how to deal with what I wouldn't have understood about myself.
I'm happy that I inherited my biological mother's love for growing things in the soil (herbs are my specialty), and animals, both of which I have a natural affinity with. I'm equally happy that I inherited my dad's zest for life and while I don't stray far from home, as he once did, I make it my business (a tribute to dad) to know every inch of his home state. I prefer the quietude of small town life but I love the excitement of cities like New Orleans, too. We are rich in history, culture, cuisine, and numerous other things one might fancy but more than any other thing, I am rich in family and friends; my Kind and other Kinds, including Outsiders.
From chaotic beginnings I came a long way, but my journey isn't over. I'm now a Healer, engaged to a most wonderful man who happens to be a Healer, too. In my spare time I volunteer with various children's organizations. All children are worthy of love, care and kindness, but if I ever hear of children of my Kind come into the system, I will do everything within my power to see that those children are placed among their own.
I told my story in the hope that it will help others to understand that Witches aren't all strange, evil Beings or characters in books and movies of fiction. Most of us are people with families and friends whom we love and cherish, and who will go out of our way to assist others in need, if we're allowed to. And it harm none. Blessed May You Be, Anne-Alecia
I'm both pleased and daunted by this opportunity to visit with you. I've followed the discussions in this forum closely, and when Dream Teller invited me to speak here I have to tell you I experienced several moments of panic, for two reasons. First, I'm no where near her league when it comes to public speaking and second, because she made no request of specific topic I was to address. When I expressed my doubts she encouraged me to be myself and speak from my heart. Okay, truthfully, the panic still resides with me but with my dear friends, Kaithlin and Garth, beside me to cheer me on, here goes.
A small town in Louisiana has been my home for twenty-three of my twenty-eight years (Garth is chuckling because he says I make twenty-eight years sound like eons). I have no clear memories of my first four years of life so what I'm first going to tell you was told me by others. I lost my parents and older brother when I was six months old. At that time we lived in another state and I had no kin to take me in, so I was placed in an orphanage. I remained there for two months or so then I was placed with foster parents; the first couple in a succession of five, before I was adopted at the age of two. A few weeks before my fourth birthday my adoptive parents died in a car accident and I was then taken in by an aunt and uncle; my mother's sister and her husband (I had never met or heard of them before). They had four children of their own and I was told I didn't bond well with them so they gave me up and I was again placed with foster parents. From that point I remember some things but others had to fill in the blank spots for me, until I was old enough to grasp and retain the facts of my situation.
Why am I telling you about my life? To reveal to you the goodness and kindness of certain individuals who are willing to step into the breach and rescue a child, who might otherwise have fallen through the cracks of society, as so many do. And so I continue with what I learned and what I remember.
My biological parents were true Witches whose ancestry dates far back (I 'm now in possession of my family history, thanks to some wonderful folks I will bring into my story in a moment). My dad was a Warlock (his parents long dead and he an only child) with a strong outgoing personality; a world traveler from an early age, and my mother was a quiet, shy woman (also an only child without family) who'd never strayed far from her small town roots, with the gift for healing both people and animals. Those who knew them, intimately, were surprised that they made a match, much less that it proved to be such a perfect match that my dad immediately changed from being a globe trotting rogue of sorts into a settled, family man. They and my brother were victims of a long-standing feud between my dad and a Wizard, and no one really knows how he managed to catch my father unaware; just that he did. If not for the fact that before he died my dad was able to inflict fatal injuries upon his enemy, I would have died that night, too. As my parents weren't members of any coven and that part of their lives was secret but to a very few, I was whisked away into the Outsider's system before anyone could get word to my dad's best friend in Louisiana (Witches look out for their own).
By the time he received the message, and being a young, single male, it was impossible for him to get custody of me, short of kidnapping me. But that part of my story doesn't end there, for which I'm eternally grateful. During my journey through the system and even after I was adopted, my dad's friend, a Warlock himself, and his family and friends, kept close tabs on me as they worked to figure out a way to get custody of me, without calling attention to the fact that they were Witches (Pagans are frowned upon to this day), and they knew no child would be released to their Kind. As most of you know, an extensive investigation is done into the lives of those who seek custody or to adopt a child, and the chance of discovery couldn't be taken by this family. They turned to another friend, also a Witch who is an attorney, and he paved the way for my return to my dad's home state.
Rather than chance the adoption investigation themselves, they went to a childless couple (Outsiders who are friends and allies of the family of Witches) and that couple was more than happy for the opportunity to try and adopt me. With the secret financial backing of Witches (amazing what spreading money around will do) the attorney and that couple came to my aid. A number of strings were pulled, favors were called in, and with Witches helping Witches across the country, the process began. It was two and a half months before my fifth birthday when child services turned me over to the couple and their attorney and I traveled with them to Louisiana, which I would later discover was where my dad was born. I was blessed to become the child of that wonderful couple, the only parents I've ever truly known, and to be welcomed into the hearts and homes of my Kind. I now have a mom and dad, a wealth of friends, and I'm forever grateful that I grew up knowing I'm a true Witch rather than having to discover it alone, and learn how to deal with what I wouldn't have understood about myself.
I'm happy that I inherited my biological mother's love for growing things in the soil (herbs are my specialty), and animals, both of which I have a natural affinity with. I'm equally happy that I inherited my dad's zest for life and while I don't stray far from home, as he once did, I make it my business (a tribute to dad) to know every inch of his home state. I prefer the quietude of small town life but I love the excitement of cities like New Orleans, too. We are rich in history, culture, cuisine, and numerous other things one might fancy but more than any other thing, I am rich in family and friends; my Kind and other Kinds, including Outsiders.
From chaotic beginnings I came a long way, but my journey isn't over. I'm now a Healer, engaged to a most wonderful man who happens to be a Healer, too. In my spare time I volunteer with various children's organizations. All children are worthy of love, care and kindness, but if I ever hear of children of my Kind come into the system, I will do everything within my power to see that those children are placed among their own.
I told my story in the hope that it will help others to understand that Witches aren't all strange, evil Beings or characters in books and movies of fiction. Most of us are people with families and friends whom we love and cherish, and who will go out of our way to assist others in need, if we're allowed to. And it harm none. Blessed May You Be, Anne-Alecia
posted by Dreamteller at
3:26 AM
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