Do you believe in fate? I have to admit that I have wanted to, but my life hasn’t really rolled along like that. However, I do believe in gut instinct. Although, truth be told I believe it to be a muscle that you have to learn to exercise properly. I have always had “feelings,” but I haven’t always known how to listen to them, or to act upon them. This year I have had a recurring notion happening in my life. (Well, I have had a lot of them, but only one appears to be particularly positive.) Wait, I should back up to the beginning…last year.
My daughter has been struggling with an illness for a while now, but she has yet to be diagnosed. She has an enlarged pancreas but no one can seem to figure out why. It’s been excruciating emotionally, watching her struggle so. Particularly during the holidays last year. What made it worse was that with the piling up of medical bills money was really tight. For my beautiful daughter the one wish I had for her, beyond having her get better, was to be able to take her to Disney World. I wished it deep in my bones. I spoke it every night. I told the World. I put it out there, even though I had no possible way of fulfilling such a dream. Well, that is until I got a fateful email from Disney inviting me to be a part of the first Disney Social Media Moms Conference. And just like that a dream was fulfilled. Okay, but this is where the fate thing starts actually. (And you thought this was just going to be about my daughter? Who by the way is doing, better but still hasn’t been diagnosed and still suffers daily.) While attending the #Disneysmmoms conference I had the unique opportunity to not only meet, but hear an absolutely phenomenal woman speak. Maxine Clark, CEO of Build a Bear Workshop. Listening to her story, to her ideas about children, and community, and responsibility, and friendship… well I fell in love right then and there. No, I’m serious I started drawing her name in my notebook with little hearts around it. (Wait, strike that. I don’t want to get arrested for stalking). Okay, but it’s true that I was absolutely enamored. The little voice inside of me said, You are going to work with this woman!” Well, actually it wasn’t just the little voice inside of me, it was the big voice outside of me too. Because I told Maxine plainly that I absolutely wanted to work with her somehow, someway. I wrote about it, I tweeted it, I updated my facebook status about it. Well heck, I had such great success giving my dream up to the universe before, why stop now.
Maxine and I began conversing through email shortly thereafter in late February. She even graciously invited me to St Louis to see the work that she and her husband are doing to help their community. We just needed to find a date that would work with our schedules. (HA!) However, literally one day after she invited me to St Louis I received a message on facebook from…drum roll please…my sister. Not just any sister. The youngest daughter of my birth father. (Bet you didn’t see that one coming.) She was contacting me because my birth father had just passed away and she wanted me to know about it. (Now, quick back story: I have always known I was adopted. I even met my birth father in person in 1997, but he was already in the throes of dementia and we didn’t really keep in touch. I did know he was sick, but I didn’t know he had passed. Nor had I ever met any of his family. I was very grateful that my sister had taken the time to reach out to me.) The kicker here, (cue mood music), it turns out nearly my entire family on my birth father’s side live in….wait for it….St Louis. Oh Man! Are you sensing a pattern here? Well, that’s the point. I am sensing a pattern myself.
Though I wasn’t able to attend the funeral, (because I was already schedule to be in LA for the Oscars with Kodak.) I knew that I needed, now more than ever, to get to St Louis. But goodness gracious when?! My schedule has always been tight, but this year has been relentless. But then, out of the blue, I got another surprise email. An invitation to join some fantastic bloggers at the first ever Build a Bear Workshop Blogger connect conference in…St Louis! Well, shiver me timbers! (I have never actually used that phrase before, but I thought it would be appropriate right here.) At first I I was sad because I didn’t think I was going to be able to attend. Then I was able to get my stand-in to take my place at one of my Chicago performances so I could blow into St Louis for the first of the two day conference. I was going to have to leave early though, and get back to Chicago for my Brookfield Zoo concert, and then, later that evening, my Summerfest concert in Milwaukee WI. ( I told you my schedule is ridiculous. 3 states in one day. Whew!) But no matter, it was happening. I was going to St Louis.
I got in touch with my other two sisters. (For those of you keeping score I have three sisters by my birth father. The eldest two are twins. and they live in the St Louis area. The youngest lives on the East Coast.) I flew into St Louis early so I could meet with them. We had a lovely first lunch at the hotel. I thought, WOW, I have sisters who are really interesting, and very comfortable in their own skin, and with me! They told me I have a whole host of family right here in the city, including some tween and teen nieces and nephews who are interested in the arts and sports big time!
It was so easy. Everything about the trip was so easy. The flight from Chicago. The airport itself. The lunch. The hotel. The conference. So easy, and even more inspiring.
While attending the conference I became even more convinced, just as I was at Disney, that I need to work with Maxine and the Build a Bear brand. I had so many ideas shooting out of my head walking the halls of the “Bearquarters” I could “bearly” contain myself. I talked peoples’ ears off. Okay, I really am starting to look like a stalker aren’t I? Hmmm. Nah!
The #BABWConnect conference was in June and now here we are in July. I am almost recovered from my travel crazy month, but I have been thinking daily about my time in St Louis, and about the extended family that I have yet to meet, and about my dream to work with Maxine Clark. All of those ideas are percolating in my head begging for a place to land. Although, it’s sometimes hard for me to think because my children are really antsy these days. They are seriously longing for a change, just as much as I am longing for a new side-road on my professional journey. We love Chicago, don’t get me wrong. But there are may things here that aren’t serving us well. My children want to live in an environment that is more “neighborhood” like. Where there are friends on every corner. My son is desperate for more boys in his life to balance out the force that is his two sisters. Since I am done in the baby making business he needs to look elsewhere for family connections, like cousins. My eldest daughter is getting more, and more into the arts, and surprisingly Chicago proper doesn’t have as much to offer in that area as you would expect. My youngest is my curator and she could live in a museum. We love museum CAMPUS but it can get a little cost prohibitive here. She really wants to learn more about dinosaurs and bigs.They all need opportunities and mentors that are easily accessible. You see I am leading to something don’t you?
Last night, out of the blue, I received a tweet from St Louis Kids magazine inviting me to come and join them for an event in… St Louis. OMG! There it is again. St Louis. St Louis. St Louis. St Louis. Holy Moly. It’s like a bad penny. Only not the bad kind, the good kind, with the head facing up. (Or is it the tales side, I never can get that right.) When I pulled up the website of St Louis Kids magazine I was amazed by all that the city seems to offer to families. And it all seems to be so accessible and affordable. I found an ad for COCA, an arts institution. Just like what I have been wanting to find for my daughter. there was also an announcement for Dinoquest and Jurrassic Bugs. As well I read about Vetta Sports and teen sports nights at The Lodge. Do you see where I am going here. Well, I think I do, literally. I think that the World, (fate, gut instinct, that little voice in my head), is telling me to, “Get thee to St Louis.” (Suddenly my little voice is speaking in an Old English accent! Whatever the accent that voice is getting louder.) So what do I have to say to that?
“Look out Maxine. Me, my kids, my heart pumping ideas my dreams..are coming for you and your city. St Louis. I’ve got a feeling.”
SMILE On!
ML
Miss Lori can be found Musing from her Minivan at MissLori.TV , Wearetherealdeal.com , YoungChicagonista , and ChicagoMomsBlog. She is also the new Chicago Family Entertainment Blogger for Examiner.com and a Discussion Leader for MomsLikeMeChicago. You can also see her Activating to Be Great at Miss Lori’s CAMPUS on Youtube, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
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