Making waves on the radio

Can’t thank my friend, Kristen Rzasa, enough for inviting me to be on her show, A Matter of Balance, on ftns.co today to share the story of my adoption search as part of her Mother’s Day show.

Having been on television twice, I had taken the invitation in stride (I’ve got a face for radio, after all). But the story topic was emotional; by mid-afternoon I’d succumbed to a good case of nerves. I was certain the pounding of my heart in my throat was audible through the phone line the boss was kind enough to let me monopolize for a few minutes. I just listened to the podcast, though, and of course that wasn’t the case!

(And what a relief, too, that unlike my television appearances, there is no lasting footage of me with football-player-sized shoulder pads and big hair, and I didn’t have to endure a length of mic wiring shoved down the waistband of my hose.)

Once I calmed down, I relished the chance to talk about my search for Patricia Clark, the woman who gave birth to me on Feb. 15, 1966, in Yonkers, NY. (She named me Jennifer Elaine Clark before baptizing me at Christ Church in Tarrytown 10 days later, then relinquished me to Westchester Family Services. The agency placed me with Mike and Ginger Salvatore of Port Chester, who adopted me in 1967.)

The broadcast offered me a good chance, too, to spotlight the realities of adoption search for folks who may be dimly aware, or who’ve relied on reality TV filters to try to understand the issue.

The interview is here — http://ftns.co/#ftns_podcast=mothers-day-special —  in the final of the show’s three segments. But don’t skip the wonderful, inspiring mother-daughter stories that precede mine.