Last Sunday night, a segment of 60 minutes caught my interest. The comment above was part of a story line about a new service at a local childrens’ group home, Five Acres, called, “Family Finders.” I am familiar with Five Acres as I spent several years involved with a group that helps children in foster homes, including Five Acres.

“They told us that she would be adopted, and so we should stop calling.”

“Family Finders” is a new program instigated recently to help find family members for the most... more

With Christmas coming and for those who are in reunion but are not communicating I thought that I would write about what to send if anything. When I wasn’t communicating with my sister, I would send her every Christmas a card. It was our usual Christmas photo and I would send it like I send the others. I did this for years and was pleasantly surprised last year at this time when I got a response. This was the first response in about 8 years.

However, recently I heard a wonderful suggestion from a natural mother who is not communicating with her son... more

Summer's long gone, and for some parts of the country that means snow and chilly weather. For us Californians, winter is generally little different from summer. The big difference is that rain in the summer here is almost non-existent. Even in the winter, rain is not common. We celebrate the rain here because it is such a treat for us.

Adoption searching is my topic here, and I know that this time of the year is particularly difficult for people separated by adoption. Mention of that fact will likely come up in several of my blogs at this time of the year.... more

One of the most efficient methods of searching when you have a name or birth date is to ask for help from online mailing lists and the forums at adoption.com. There are many angels amongst us willing to lend a hand and all you have to do is ask. However, here are some online resources for your search.

I have used the free people finder parts of www.ussearch.com, www.peoplefinders.com, www.intelius.com, www.obitsarchive.com,... more

If you were born in the Booth Home/Hospital in Cleveland, OH it was sold to Cleveland Metro Health and the records have been “misplaced”. The Salvation Army had control of the booth hospitals and there is a request link on their website. The address for the central headquarters for records search is:

Salvation Army National Headquarters Archives and Research Center 615 Slater Lane PO Box 269 Alexandria, VA 22313 Phone: 703-684-5500

The following link shows the different territories for the Booth Homes... more

On Thanksgiving Day, my son Chris called to wish me Happy Thanksgiving. (I know that it is nearly Christmas, but I am way behind.) We chatted for awhile and he told me about the gathering of family on turkey day in his part of the country. The family group sounded fairly large this year. It included Chris, his brother and financee, his brother's child, their mom (adoptive), their dad (divorced from the mom)and his brother's birth mom and a few others.

It was funny when he mentioned that his brother's birth mom was invited. He quickly mentioned it was because... more

If you are a regular reader here, you know that I found a grave at the end of my search a little over 13 years ago. When I found a grave, I didn’t know anyone else that this had happened to nor did I feel as if I could reach out to seek the support of others who may have found a grave.

It wasn’t until several years after I found a grave that I actually met another person who also found a grave and since then I have unfortunately, met several whose searches ended with the devastating realization of a grave.

Just today, I was going through my... more

I don't much like wall-to-wall shopping experiences any more at the mall. This photo is what the mall looked like as I left there this morning. I found out that the store I wanted to buy a gift for my daughter opened on Sat. morning at 8:00 a.m. Good mom that I am (sometimes) I drug myself out of bed and was heading back home by 10:00 a.m. Thank goodness.

The holidays are such a family time that adoption loss seems even more profound at this time of year. My concept of holidays is time spent with family - as much family as possible. Therefore, my relinquished... more

America’s Multi-Billion Dollar Unregulated Adoption Industry by Mirah Riben Foreword by Evelyn Robinson. The projected release date is February 15, 2007.

Stork mar•ket. (stôrk märkt) n. 1. an in-depth exposé of the corruption in the adoption industry; the fine line between black and gray market adoption; scams, coercion and exploitation. 2. an in-depth report on the international market where children are the commodity being bought and sold to the highest bidders including pedophiles with prices based on quality (i.e. age, skin color) of... more

I applaud the adoptees who are conscious of the feelings of hose around them. These are the folks who realize that search isn’t all about them and what they need and desire. It is important to have some respect to the adoptive parents. The adoptive parents are deserving of that respect and they are deserving to come to terms with adoption search in their own way.

It is so much more than searching or being found. There is so much that happens in the discovery process and to make assumptions about what the adoptee is feeling is wrong. All triad members... more