Send Team Begay to Old Knitting Factory

I am a single mother of three amazing children. I identify as Two-Spirit. In the Navajo Creation Story, Two Spirits are identified as having both male and females spirits and are viewed on the same level as Medicine Men. Our main purpose is to facilitate healing among our community.

I adopted all three of my children from Navajo Nation. We all share clan lineage. I was stolen as a child from my birth mother, before the ICWA enactment. My adopted folks say I was adopted but they paid cash for me. They met me and took me home all within a week, which is unheard of in the adoption process. Subsequently, I had a very difficult childhood and have no relationship with my adoptive family. Both my adopted parents are now deceased.

Being adopted is the main reason I wanted to adopt my children, to heal the past and complete the circle of life. I have raised my two oldest in the Navajo language tradition up to 3rd grade. My youngest is 6 and is learning Spanish. All of my kids are wonderful. My oldest is 12 and is on the spectrum and has ADHD. He is very sensitive and loving. My daughter is 10 and has anger issues but very much loves to learn. My 6 year old is a mix of the two and yet very much his own person. I spend most of my free time with my children. They love being nature to explore and find “new friends”.

I am an introvert and a writer. I am an avid reader of memoirs. I don't have the time to write and think because there is always laundry and stuff to do but I carve out pieces here and there. We have a house full of animals. We rescued three dogs that we adore and two cats that keep us in line.

I am interested in this single mother's retreat for all of us as a portal for healing. We don't get time away from the busyness of our lives. We all love nature and know nature heals us. We have a lot that needs to be healed left over from the pandemic. I believe traveling to another country and the place would be optimum for us to downshift and open to heal. We connect very well when we're offline and in nature. I could use the week to sip some hot tea and just relax and enjoy the beauty and serenity. My kids would love this experience and it would help them bond and discover beauty outside of the USA.

I was selected from over 700 applicants for the Old Knitting Factory's second annual Rest Residency, providing me and my kids with a week's accommodation at the residency space in the west of Ireland. Your donations will help cover our travel costs to get to Ireland.

Thank you for being a part of this experience with us. I hope this will be the beginning of my memoir!