Adoptee Discoveries- It's The Journey not the Destination where Treasure and Growth are Found

   For 65 years I have traveled a prolonged but exhilarating journey to search and uncover my birth and adoption story, my hidden heritage. Without a road map laid out and sealed adoption records I stepped out with trepidation and courage by myself in my thirties. I took uncharted roads and many detours to discover my birth story, foster care and adoption narratives. My earliest search spent many years and patience corresponding with agencies, vital records and a kind foster sister where I tediously gathered valuable pieces of my non-identifying info which lead to my birth mother's 3 daughters who welcomed me. 25 years later the miracle of Dna science surprised me with uncovering my unknown birth father, his 9 children and relation who were gracious with the unexpected news of my hidden identity. With sadness I discovered both of my birth parents were deceased by the time I found their families 25 years apart. A priceless gift on the pilgrimage was meeting hundreds of fellow travelers on the backroads who have touched me with their laughter and tears, their stories and their kindnesses. I am so very grateful for discovering the truth on my path. Gathering the missing pieces of my adopted life while embracing my beautiful adoptive family afforded me many life lessons. My personal growth and Christian faith have flourished over these many years proving to me again and again that its in the journey, not the destination where priceless treasure is found! Thank you heavenly Father for walking with me every step of the way.  ( Copyright: jody m moreen 2020 )

Confesssions of an Adoptee who Overstuffs her Suitcase by Jody Moreen

I confess, I admit it. I am guilty of overpacking for family vacations. This baby boomer nervously scans her closet and shoe racks multiple times and fills every nook and cranny of her suitcase to over flowing. When I’ve emptied half my closet, and I find myself sitting on my baggage forcing to close it, the relentless question still persists, “Have I forgotten something?” New luggage guidelines for weight limitations have not helped me cut back one bit. Do I really need to take 15 blouses for 7 days of travel? Makes not a bit of logical sense to me, but I am still compelled to repeat this ritual every time I pull my weathered suitcase out of storage for the next trip.
I seem to find solace in my over stuffed suitcase.
I spoke with another adoptee recently who was packing for a summer trip. She confessed to the same annoying habit I have of overpacking. Didn’t Jesus command in Luke 9 to travel lightly? He tells his disciples to not be concerned with procuring extra provisions for their journeys as they traveled to preach the gospel. Nagging guilt over my obssessive actions sends thoughts of condemnation coming my way.
I ponder the possible underlying motives of my mad packing. On the day of my humble birth as an adoptee, I was left all alone on the hospital delivery table without a family. Could it be that I felt the separation from everything familiar to me in the security of the womb–my birth mother, my birth family, my genetic connection, my cultural heritage? Ouch! Is it any wonder that I have a tendency to cling so tightly to things and find separation from my stuff so very painful? Taking my extra belongings with me seems to offer me a temporary sense of security and safety.
As God impresses these thoughts on my mind, the condemning voices begin to fade away. In their place, I hear the tender voice of Jesus, my Savior whispering to me,”I understand, I care, I don’t judge you.” And then he gently bids me to rest secure in His everlasting arms and to trust in His grace as my daily Provider, my trustworthy Father. He promises to never leave me nor forsake me. He offers to carry my every burden and encourages me to leave my extra baggage at home and travel light with Him.
Quite an irresistable invitation.
What an awesome traveling companion, what an faithful friend!

Copyright- Jody Moreen 2012

Adoptees: Twice Adopted & Created, Chosen, Celebrated & Cherished by their Heavenly Father

Adoptees Gals:
Don't allow your early life circumstances to define you.  You are not an orphan! You were created in love before the foundations of the world by your precious heavenly Father. He Created You, Chose You, Celebrates You and Cherishs You!  Never let that reality and truth escape your mind and heart. Embrace it and walk enthusiastically and courageously in light of this reality. You are the Daughter of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords- an heir of His righteousness and eternal life when you chose Him as your Lord and Savior! If you do not know Him personally, pray and ask Him into your heart today.
Celebrate Today and Share the Good News of Jesus Christ with those you meet today!  
Blessings,  Jody

 #adoptee #adoptees #adopted #adoption #orphan #rejection #identity # identity in Jesus #daughter of the King

Adoptees Writing Contest 2015, 3rd Place Winner, Lyn Rowley, Dear Birth Mom

Dear Birth Mom,

I don’t really know much about you. I don’t even know your first name.  But I do know that on May 14, 1952 you gave birth to a baby boy in Lodi, Ohio.  It was weeks before your due date and I don’t know what the emergency was, but you had a C-Section and delivered a very small little boy that you decided to give up for adoption.  He was in an incubator and spent several weeks being cared for by the nurses at the hospital who named him “Jimmy-Joe” after the two doctors who had delivered him.  One of those nurses had a cousin that she knew wanted desperately to add to her family since she was unable to have another child.  She got in touch with them and on June 12, 1952 that baby became their son.  Twenty years later, I met that boy and fell in love with him. Two years later, I married him.  Forty one years later, I still love him.  While I am sad that you never got to know him, I am so thankful for your gift of life that you gave to him when you said yes to adoption.  Did you imagine who he might have become?  Wonder about his new family?  Pray for him?  I will never have the answer to these questions because my husband, your son, does not want to find you.  If it were my choice, we would seek you out.  I want you to know that I pray for you every day.  In my dreams, in a very beautiful wonderful place, I see you running towards your boy and he knows immediately who you are.  And when he looks into your eyes, he understands.  And this is heaven. ~

 Lyn Rowley- Author

I've been married to my husband Ken for 41 years.   We have two wonderful children and four grandchildren, who are the joy of my life!  I love scrap booking, reading and journaling.  I have been writing a blog (Lynrowley.blogspot.com) for the last two years and have made many connections around the world through those posts.  I love sharing about Jesus and how He touches my everyday life.

( Permission is needed to reprint this letter in any print or online media )

 

 

Anne of Green Gables, My Daughter & Me, A Memoir- New book by an Adoptee Mom who adopted a daughter

I am excited to announce this new book I just ordered from Amazon- Anne of Green Gables, My Daughter and Me, a Memoir!  Like many adoptees and others- I LOVE Anne of Green Gables and have identified with her sentiments, feelings and quotes in Lucy Maude Montgomery's classic book, a best seller that never seems to loose its charm with moms and daughters through the decades!  I connected with Lorilee some  years back by e-mail when I saw she was speaking at a Christian Women's retreat in Michigan, sharing her adoption testimony. She is a believer and  she shares her faith and God's fingerprints in her adoption and her daughter's adoptive story.

Here is a review of this book that just was released this month- August 2015:

 A charming and heartwarming true story for anyone who has ever longed for a place to belong. “Anne of Green Gables,” My Daughter, and Me is a witty romp through the classic novel; a visit to the magical shores of Prince Edward Island; and a poignant personal tale of love, faith, and loss.

And it all started with a simple question: “What’s an orphan?” The words from her adopted daughter, Phoebe, during a bedtime reading of Anne of Green Gables stopped Lorilee Craker in her tracks. How could Lorilee, who grew up not knowing her own birth parents, answer Phoebe’s question when she had wrestled all her life with feeling orphaned—and learned too well that not every story has a happy ending?

So Lorilee set off on a quest to find answers in the pages of the very book that started it all, determined to discover—and teach her daughter—what home, family, and belonging really mean. If you loved the poignancy of Orphan Train and the humor of Mennonite in a Little Black Dress, you will be captivated by “Anne of Green Gables,” My Daughter, and Me. It’s a beautiful memoir that deftly braids three lost girls’ stories together, speaks straight to the heart of the orphan in us all, and shows us the way home at last.~


*Also today September 1st, 2015, On the Christian national radio show- Chris Fabry Live- Lorilee shares about her book and adoption story and her daughters. If you get the book PLEASE be encouraged to post your reviews or what resonated to you as an adoptee when reading Lorilee Craker's book.  Here is the posting from the show. And here is the Link: http://www.moodyradio.org/chris-fabry-live/

Anne of Green Gables, My Daughter, and Me

If you're an Anne of Green Gables fan, you won't want to miss Lorilee Craker's true story of how that novel affected her and her adopted daughter. Find out what home, family and belonging really mean.
***Go to this Link- they often have an audio recording of the show to listen to or to order- and sometimes you have to wait until the next day
Can't wait for the book to arrive in my mailbox in a few days!!!


I

Adoptee Writing Contest 2015- Tied for 2nd Place Winner, Sheri Novotny

My Birth Mom   by Sheri Novotny

That call came one December night,
As we just sat down to eat.
My spouse he almost dropped the phone,

When he heard that voice so sweet.

I looked at him unknowingly,

As he prepared to drop the bomb.

He had to sit, get off his feet,

As he announced, “It’s your birth mom!”

I took the phone, held it to my ear

As the voice said, “Hi, it’s your mother.”

Was caught off guard, in disbelief,

and I just wanted to take cover.

God truly had His hand in this,

As the reunion came to pass.

It was what we both wanted,

but it happened all so fast.

We met a couple times you see,

As she struggled with her illness.

Just two quick months I knew her

Before she entered into stillness.

Into my life she did appear,

And then she went away.

The time I spent with her was gold,

But God took her home to stay.

A blessing to have met her,

The one who gave birth to me.

Even though it was for a moment,

I met my birth-mom thankfully.

Even though we talked a little bit,

Never sure just what to say,

A wave of peace came over her,

When she knew I was okay.

One day we’ll meet in heaven,

We’ll sit and talk awhile,

We’ll know each other even better,

The thought makes my heart smile.

For now she’s in the good Lord’s care.

The best care that I know of.

And when I think of my birth mom,

I’ll always think of her love.

A love that I had never known,

Before we met that day.   

Thank you mom for my life,

And making sure I was okay.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Sheri's Bio: I was around 3 weeks old when I was adopted by a Christian family.  Throughout my life, I had always wondered about my birth family. In my forties, I learned I had seven siblings living in Chicago along with my birth mom.  There was a reunion, but my birth mom passed away two months after our meeting.  It was all orchestrated by the good Lord and gave my birth mom immense peace before she passed.

The coolest part about the reunion was that my adopted family members were able to meet most of my birth family.

God has blessed me with a wonderful husband and an awesome son and I know things would have been way different had I not been given up for adoption.

The one thing I never take for granted is being adopted into a Christian family.  They always made me feel like one of their own, which I’ve always appreciated.  And looking at my life story, you can see God had His hand in all of it!

Copyright 2015 ( Permission is needed to reprint this poem in any media form- written or online )

 

 

 

 

2nd Place Winner in the Adoptee Writing Contest 2015, Shefalie A. Hollis

In memory of my birth mother:          

Mother,

It is my birthday

And I think of you…..

Thank you, for my life……

In all the passing years

I still think of you.

This day…… My day……

Not much celebration going on

The day you delivered me.

But oh my mother…if you could see me now….

I would want it to bless your heart…..

To see what I have done with the gift of life given to me.

I am so sorry you could not keep me or

Watch me grow and bloom into the woman

I am becoming today.

I am sorry, it was not your hand that held me

As a child in the night ,when I was so afraid.

Nor your voice that comforted me in the darkness and challenges  of

My life……

Nor your laughter, or your encouragement I heard

Throughout my youthful growing years.

You have not seen the many places, and people

Whose  lives have touched me and I them and all

That has gone into making me………Me.

 

But still…here I am……

I am trying  to do the best with my life I can.

I have loved, laughed, climbed mountains,

Walked in the valleys and…..well sometimes I have even stopped to rest in the shadows for oh so long………

Until I had almost forgotten the warmth of the sun……

I am learning to let people into my life and heart

And build a bridge to friendship……

I have known times of deep loss, .…. but also the pleasure of much gain…..

And I have known the joy of being raised with a family…..

I have been a daughter…and a sister…a wife…a mother….… and a friend to many…

Who have lost their way in life…….

I so wanted you to meet my friends…

I wanted you to meet the woman who became my “mum”…

I am learning  to sing in the barren times, and the times of plenty….

I am learning to let the light shine from within…

And to let the wounds heal over…..

I am learning to sing  a new song…..

And I wanted to say thankyou.

I think of you and wanted you to know

My life has gone on…..

And I am coming into full bloom…

And this day of all days……. my birthday,

I remember you and smile.

Jean shefalie Hollis copyright 1/1/06

 

 

Bio:My name is Shefalie and I am bi-racial. I live in the UK and am married and have a grown married son, and we have a lovely granddaughter who is a gift to my heart and spirit and has brought much healing into my life.