What colors fill your cup?

For our adoption process we were required to take 2 full days of "classes on adoption". These classes were to help us with the integration of an adoptive child into our home as well as becoming a multi-cultural family. We talked for hours and did many class "exercises" during this time. There was one exercise that we did that was incredibly thought-provoking for me.

Our instructor gave us all one clear plastic cup and a bag full of multi-colored M and M's. Each color of an M and M's represented a certain ethnic group that we come in contact with day in and day out. For example...the red M and M's represented White, blue represented Indian, yellow represented Black and so forth. So the exercise went something like this...

"Place three M and M's in your cup for the ethnic group that represent your family. Place three M and M's in your cup that represent the ethnic group in your church. Place one M and M in your cup that represents your hairdresser...and on and on it went...from teachers to friends...to even restaurants that you frequent". She continued to ask us to fill our cup.

Until this time, I really thought that we had quite the multi-cultural surrounding...but when you see it visually represented in front of you...you see that you are not always right. So now, as we begin to prepare ourselves to become a multi-cultural family I often think about that exercise and our cup.

...so what colors fill your cup?