Mimi L. Robins

A graduate of Mass College of Art, she taught art briefly within the North Attleborough school system.

She met, and married Myron Robins, a Junior Officer in the Navy, and a Harvard Law school graduate, who was eventually stationed with the Navy in California. To fill her time while Myron was at sea, she went to the wood working shop on base, designing and building a full bedroom set that remains in use in her Brookline home some 70 years later.

The marriage produced two children, Bonnie and Steven Robins.

Approximately 10 years into the marriage, Myron, while on Navy Reserve Service in Europe, suffered a profound traumatic brain Injury. While he made an incredible recovery, effectively function in society, he was not the same man she had married. Her life as the beautiful wife of an accomplished man was over.

After several years of therapy to address the depression from the disruption of her planned life, she decided to invest in her own growth and development. She began a self-education by reading psychology, sociology, anthropology, philosophy, mythology, as well as the writings of mystics and saints, including the texts of many world religions.

In 1968, she became aware of a program designed to bring college educated women, and train them to provide “social work” services in the State Welfare System, working ‘Mother’s Hours’. It was called the Catalyst Social Work Program. She was assigned to Roxbury Crossing for 6 years, where ability to meet people where they were, without judgement, enabled her to effect change, and provide for people’s needs.

In 1974, a re-organization of Welfare and Department of Social Services, allowed Mimi to move into adoptions as an Adoption Placement Worker. She viewed the child as her client. She would gain a sense of what would serve the child's needs, then begin to look at home studies, and visiting perspective families. She would do a virtual introduction of the child to the family. If the family was interested, she would require them to create a “Welcome Book” of family members, neighborhood, schools, or anything that would assist in orienting the child to their new potential life. Until Mimi had the “Welcome Book” in hand, the child was completely unaware of the prospective family. Mimi was a pioneer in sibling and older child adoptions, introducing Welcome Books, and Life Books.

The Life Book provided an illustrated, age appropriate story of the child’s past life, to allow the child, and new family, to a better understanding of the history that brought them to this new life together.

A lifelong gardener, whose garden was written up in Boston Globe. She rode her horse of 25 years, Gem, a Morgan, until she was 89 years old. She vacationed annually on Monhegan Island Maine for over 30 years. A student of Swami Chinmayananda since 1971, whom she traveled with in India, and a founding member of the Chinmayananda Center of Boston. A long term member of Temple Sinai of Brookline MA. She continuously wrote and illustrated journals going back to the 70’s, which lead to several books of philosophical poetry: she viewed herself as a conduit to the wisdom of Hindu spiritual perspective.

A memorial service will be held at 11am on Tuesday, December 27 at Temple Sinai, 50 Sewall Ave, Brookline, MA 02446.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Mimi’s memory may be made to Temple Sinai at www.sinaibrookline.org