[pdt73000]

I remember it was sometime around 1978 that I found out that I was adopted. It was something that I struggled with for the next few years, I was always trying to find out more information and it seemed to come in fragments, bits and pieces and half truths. This is when I began my journey, and for the next 25 years I searched.

I'm sharing this story with you now in hopes that it might help someone out there who is dreaming about reuniting with their birth mother. I was born in Ohio, in 1968, all the adoption records were closed. My efforts prior to gaining access to the Internet never yielded many results, but in the summer of 2004, I contacted a adoption investigator through the use of the Internet and shortly thereafter I spoke with him by phone. We made arrangements for him to start the investigation, I was surprised at how inexpensive it was to do a search ($200 down and $200 at the time he found my birth mother) at the moment I put the $200 down he was able to look at the Ohio birth index and give me my mother's maiden name this is more information than I had ever received, I was ecstatic, three more weeks passed by before I heard from the man again, he called, and said, "we've got it... we you be using the same card to verify payment." I could not believe what just happened and within a matter of minutes I had my sister's telephone number. I called her right then, she answered, we talked for three hours and it was an amazing and overwhelming conversation. Shortly after that conversation we made plans to meet. We were able to spend two days together sharing hundreds of photos and many many stories.

It wasn't till two and a half years later that I was able to contact my birth mom and that is mostly because my adoption had been an overwhelmingly painful situation for her and I did not want to invade her privacy or shake up her life. So I proceeded with a lot of caution. I decided to communicate through a letter to share with her my thoughts and feelings. I will share with you now the letter of the very first words I used to communicate with her. Click The Link Below

pdtheophilus - Phil and Chris