So You Think the Olympics Ended in August? Think Again!

Why would I be writing about another Olympic role model with adoption ties a month after the Olympic Games ended? Well, in reality the Games ended just this past week. From September 6-13, the Paralympic Games took place in Beijing. The world’s second-largest sporting event–elite competitions for athletes with physical or visual disabilities–draws the best disabled athletes from all over the world. The “para” in Paralympics is for “parallel”, on a par with, rather than paraplegic as some people assume. The Paralympic Games are held in the same year and at the same location as the Olympic Games. Cities and … Continue reading →

Past Olympians Continue to be Role Models with Adoption Stories

As Olympic fever dies down, we can continue to help our children to realize the normalcy and frequency of adoption by looking at past Olympians. Learning about their lives before and since their Olympic moment reinforces to our children that these are real people. Earlier this month, I blogged about Lopez Lomong and Reese Hoffa, Olympic athletes who represented the U.S.A. in Beijing this year. They both have interesting adoption stories. More than a dozen past Olympic athletes were also adopted. You may remember the) story of Toby Dawson, a U.S. skier who was adopted from Korea at the age … Continue reading →

Another Athlete Role Model with an Adoption Story

Two adoptees representing the U.S. in the Olympic Games this month have met adversity with dignity, both on and off the field. My last blog was about Lopez Lomong, a Sudanese refugee who represented the United States not only on the track, but as the bearer of the U.S. flag in the opening ceremonies. Reese Hoffa represented the U.S. in the shotput. Hoffa was born in Kentucky to a 15-year-old mother who already had a two-year-old. Diana Chism, Reese’s birth mother, said she had been working 12 hours a day at a retail job but still wasn’t making it financially. … Continue reading →

U.S. Runner Says Support of his Adopted Country and Family is “As Good as Gold”

After reading about the athlete who refused his bronze medal and declared this Olympics a failure because he’d wanted gold, and about other athletes who have been stripped of their medals, it’s refreshing to find an athlete who seems to have the true Olympic spirit and an appreciation of what’s important. Runner Lopez Lomong appears to have that spirit–toward the Olympic Games as well as toward his adopted family and country. “I came here for the pride and love of my country,” said Lomong. “I came here to try my best to represent the country and to be a great … Continue reading →

How I Became Your Mother: When Uncle Eddie Took Care of His Birth Mother.

Continued: From The Journey of How I Became Your Mother: Thanksgiving and LeRoy’s Boys. When I was 13-years-old Uncle Eddie announced that his birth mother was sick and needed someone to take care of her. The mother he had not lived with since he was only 4-years-old, had found her son and asked for a place to stay. The picture here was taken the day she flew in from Illinois. This is my grandmother, Aunt Terrie, Uncle Eddies birth mother with the white hair, and my parents–Uncle Eddie took this picture. Not very many years ago most adopted kids never … Continue reading →

Belonging, Identity and ‘The’ Reason Why: How I Decided Not to Search for My Birth Parents (cont’d.

Perhaps I’m a naturally “uncurious” person. But since I belong to my parents, I can’t imagine going to look for another mother, or what place this person could possibly hold in my life. Of course I realize a birth mother wouldn’t be “another mother”, and yet how do you define a relationship with someone who has given you life biologically, and at the same time given you nothing of the life you know now. I have never felt the need to look for this person to help define who I am. My identity, I feel, is largely formed in how … Continue reading →

Belonging, Identity and ‘The’ Reason Why: How I Decided Not to Search for My Birth Parents

So many things identify us. Many of you have likely read my blogs and know that I am a home schooling mom. I am the mother of five wonderful children, including a set of twins. I am the wife of a coach. And I am adopted. You can tell, without a doubt, that I must be adopted. The only way you could be more sure is if my adoptive parents and I were of different races. While both of my “adoptive” parents are dark haired, have brown eyes, and are almost olive color–I am blonde (or at least I was … Continue reading →

The Search Notebook

The Search Notebook is probably one of the most essential items you will need during your whole search. It is the location you will write every detail of every process you undergo throughout your search. This notebook is best served as a 3-ring binder. It allows you to insert page protectors and looseleaf notebook paper for notes. The number one rule in any adoption search is to make copies of everything! It’s simple. If it pertains to your search, it needs to be recorded, or copied. I have a copy of every letter I’ve ever sent to anyone regarding my … Continue reading →

Friday Adoption Funnies: A Little Humor For Your Weekend

Well, it’s finally Friday. A busy week here at our home, as our three youngest returned to school yesterday. Between school supply shopping, getting new outfits for the first day of school, meeting teachers, and getting back into the routine of school, I’m exhausted. I’m ready for a weekend of no stress and some fun times with my precious family. I thought I’d share a couple of cute jokes and stories with you to start your weekend off on the right foot – with loads of smiles. Have a terrific weekend! A married couple went to the hospital together to … Continue reading →

Adoption Memory Writing

One of the most important steps you can take in your personal search is to try some memory recall. It really isn’t difficult to do at all. Often, over the period of your life so far, you have heard or seen things, been exposed to, or have pieces and slivers of information that may not seem like anything. For me personally, it was being encouraged to take French lessons for all those years in middle school and high school. At some point I even remember someone telling me, my adoptive mother perhaps, that it was because I had French lineage. … Continue reading →