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Originally Posted By Lori Ann

Just wanted to share with you a brief part of my story. I found both of my birth parents about 15 years ago. First my birthmom, later my dad. It was an experience that I never could have imagined, a reunion of two people that never should have been separated in the first place. I am closer to my birthmom than anyone else, difficult to explain to someone who has not had the same experience. But she is like an older sister to me. I had a mom when I was growing up and did not need someone to replace her. So I continue to have a good, loving relationship with both birth parents. I guess ours is truly a sucess story. It hasn't always been easy however. Trying to figure out how you fit into someone's life that you never grew up with, what your relationship can be like with other sibs, or half-sibs, some family members want nothing to do with you as you make them feel uncomfortable, etc.

So profound was my experience that I ended up writing a book about it, fictionalizing the story. It has just recently been published. It's called Follow Your Heart. I would highly recommend it to those of you who are searching, or who may be considering a reunion. If you have been through the reunion experience already, you'll be able to relate to what the central character has to go through. Mostly, the novel is about love and compassion, the strength of family, and how some bonds can never be broken even if they are interrupted for a time. If you would like more information, please e-mail me at janos@calis.com and I would be happy to write you back. Good luck to you all!

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Originally Posted By CASSANDRA

WERE YOU HAPPY THAT YOU WERE REUNITED WITH YOUR BIRTH PARENTS? I AM ADOPTED AND I HAVEN'T SEEN MY BIRTH PARENTS BUT I SURE WOULD LIKE TO CAN YOU E-MAIL ME AT NOAHKIDS6@AOL.COM

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Originally Posted By Lori Ann

Yes, I was thrilled to find my birth parents. It was like a dream come true to meet my birth mom. She is a wonderful person, loving and caring. She had always hoped I would find her. Our reunion was truly one of the most moving experiences of my life. Meeting my birth father was a bit different. He never knew I was born, and when the P.I. contacted him, he was quite uneasy about meeting me. He didn't know what I was after, but he still agreed. As soon as he saw me, there was no doubt in his mind that I was his daughter, the resemblance between us is so great. He never had any other children, so I am his only child, something he thought he would never have. Let me tell you this however. My birth parents have never been a substitute or replacement for my adoptive parents. My adopted parents raised me, they were my mom and dad. And even though they are both gone now, that is how I will forever think of them. I didn't find my birth parents until I was an adult with kids of my own, so I wasn't looking for parental figures. We have a different kind of relationship, truly unique. We share a special bond that can never be broken. And yes, Cassandra, I will write you.

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Originally Posted By Sara

Congradulations on finding your birthparents. I myself would really like to find out who and where my birthparents are also. I wanted to try to find them a little while ago, but my mother said that i had to wait unti i was 18. Now i'm 19 years old, but i have no idea where to start, and where to go. Hopefully one day though i'll find them and i'll be able to tell where i got my certain qualitites from.

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Originally Posted By Lori Ann

Sara,
I think this website is a good place to start. You can get a lot of useful information from it. When I searched for my birth parents, I used a private investigator. That was 15 years ago and there weren't as many options available as there are today. I wish you luck, you are young and have time to search. There are lots of places you can post messages to your birth mother. She might be looking for you as well. But remember, some people don't want to be found. It's a coin toss. Take good care of yourself, and be good to your adopted mom. Think about how she might feel about all of this.

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Originally Posted By I want to find my mom!

Hey my name is Stacy and I would like to know how you found your mom. I am really intrested in finding her and would like to know how you did it. If you could e-mail me at rogerss222@hsd.k12.or.us with your response that would be great! Thank you so much!

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Originally Posted By Steve Taylor

Lori,
I would love to read a copy of your book. Please tell me where I can find it. Thanks.

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Originally Posted By Tina Rutherford aka birthparent

Wow i hope my 3 sons find me or i find them and we can have that kind of relationship i never gave them up i dont even know if they will be told that i fought for 3 hard years while i was still a minor also i was in csd custody myself and even so as i turned 19 they termanated my rights even though i had done everything csd told me to do for 3 years i thought i was sighning
papers for csd to release me as i was over the age of 18 i thought i wad being amacipated and that i was suppose to start haveing my boys home for the weekends or so i was told but whn i came in they said to get out and never come back i had my rights termanated and that i was concidersd as a threat i was crushed i just hope my boys will here me out and understand all the negative feeling i have tword the foster family they had i know adopted them right under my nose i realy am discusted with the system of taking from the young, or poor and give to the highest bidder and when we speek up the system tells us we have an anger management problem maby if you wana see more or here more of my thoughts or support open records you can go to http://www.divine2at.homestead.com/about_me.html
or email me at divine2at@attbi.com here is a song i made yes i am singing it to for my boys

[Archive]

Originally Posted By Tina Rutherford aka birthparent

Wow i hope my 3 sons find me or i find them and we can have that kind of relationship i never gave them up i dont even know if they will be told that i fought for 3 hard years while i was still a minor also i was in csd custody myself and even so as i turned 19 they termanated my rights even though i had done everything csd told me to do for 3 years i thought i was sighning
papers for csd to release me as i was over the age of 18 i thought i wad being amacipated and that i was suppose to start haveing my boys home for the weekends or so i was told but whn i came in they said to get out and never come back i had my rights termanated and that i was concidersd as a threat i was crushed i just hope my boys will here me out and understand all the negative feeling i have tword the foster family they had i know adopted them right under my nose i realy am discusted with the system of taking from the young, or poor and give to the highest bidder and when we speek up the system tells us we have an anger management problem maby if you wana see more or here more of my thoughts or support open records you can go to http://www.divine2at.homestead.com/about_me.html
or email me at divine2at@attbi.com here is a song i made yes i am singing it to for my boys

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Originally Posted By Susan silverbullet146@hotmail.com

I have recently found my birth mother. We have talked on the phone together but sometimes I think I am not saying the right things. I am a very shy person and don't really know what to say to her sometimes. It has been 4 months since we have last talked. I am starting to think she thinks that I don't care about her. What should I do? Can you give me some pointers. Thank You.

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Originally Posted By Lori Ann

Steve,
Thanks for inquiring about the book. You can get it from amazon.com or bn.com or by ordering direct from the publisher, toll free number is: 1-877-333-7422. Or you can go to their website which is: publishamerica.com. The book is Follow Your Heart by Lori Paris. If you need anymore information you can e-mail me at janos@calis.com.

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Originally Posted By Gillian

I'm 18 years old and from Northern Ireland. I was adopted too. Moved in with my adopted parents from I was 3 months old. All I know is that I was born in Cork but I don't know anything else. How did you find your birthparents? Gillian. xx

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Originally Posted By Lori Ann to Gillian

Gillian,
Since I searched for my birth parents a long time ago, I didn't have many options. So I hired a private investigator to help me. It's an expense to be sure, but it was worth it. It took him about three months to locate my birth mom. When I found my birth dad, that was two weeks, but we had a lot more information to go on at the time. I also want you to know that I waited until I was almost thirty before I did this. You must be mature enough to handle such a complex and emotional issue. You must be prepared for whatever may happen, there certainly are plenty of happy reunion stories out there, but there are just as many disastrous ones as well. So be careful, if you have any more questions, you can e-mail me at janos@calis.com. You might also be interested in my book called Follow Your Heart. The central character is only a few years older than you, and she decides to search for her birth parents. It is a novel, but based on some of my own experiences.
Lori Paris
Author & Adoptee