Ep. 107 - Marcia Blum is an amazing person. She is a retired social worker and mental health therapist. Listen as she describes pioneering open adoption, finding your birth parents, hospice care, and grief programs. Listen to her gift to listeners as she gives us 4 end-of-life reflections to help a dying person. She tells about her efforts to end sex trafficking and help survivors. Another passion is elderly mental health. She continues to work tirelessly to help Omaha citizens and has worked in the private, public, and non-profit sectors. She has been in the front lines of hospitals, adoption agencies, State legislatures, universities, and hospice agencies.
Top Takeaways:
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- Understanding the adoption process from every side
- The societal judgment and discrimination that faced single mothers in the 60s which led to many adoption placements
- The many sacred life lessons to be learned at a hospice
- The four words that everyone should say at the end of life that lead to some kind of resolution
- How to become aware and involved in children sex trafficking awareness
- Learning to let go off your privilege and understand each person that you serve
Listen as she advocates against sex trafficking and is active in a Tri-Faith community, a unique collaboration of Christian, Jewish, and Muslim faiths.
"I really feel it is important that we become aware of our biases, our assumptions, our privileges, and learn deep respect for every person we serve."
After studying law, she felt it was not what she thought it would be. She felt it was seeking a different kind of justice - a justice for your client - than she was seeking. Instead, she got a master's in social work which gave her broad opportunities. Her position as a supervisor in adoptions gave her more freedom to make changes. She discusses her role in open adoptions.
LISTEN to her on Coping in Crisis Podcast as she tells about what happened when her pastor contracted COVID-19, how COVID-19 is affecting spousal and child abuse and what to do, and how to deal with stress at home 24/7. She describes what a congregation did to keep a sense of community, care and prayer when they couldn't meet. She tells how the pastor became a model for them.
Listen in to learn about the sensitive topics of child adoption in the 60s, normalizing death, and fighting child sex trafficking. You will also learn the importance of being grateful for what you have and where you are in life.
Key Moments:
She describes her childhood and upbringing and how her teenage years shaped who she ended up becoming [2:44]
She shares the open adoption process from both sides' spectrum and some adoption stories she saw first hand during her time in the service [5:59]
How the black community stepped up to adopt black children to keep them in the community [15:46]
Marcia shares some stories of how illegal abortion affected women [17:43]
She describes the stigma that surrounds parents who give up their children for adoption as an ongoing frustration [20:39]
She shares her experience working in a hospice and the lessons she learned there [21:51]
How she helped families find resolution and peace for the dying plus the beauty of a hospice [29:42]
How she became aware of sex trafficking and got involved in creating education around it [35:31]
Some of the ways they use to help women and children out of the illegal business of sex trafficking [39:13]
She talks about a tri-faith community where some people of different religions share their diversity with dignity [45:53]
Relevant Links