Olympic Champion Seeking His Birth Family

For Dawson, a Bronze and a Chance to Find Birth Parents "Toby Dawson, who took the bronze medal in the men's moguls competition today, hopes to use the publicity to find his birth parents." This is a story I think we will all like - he just won a bronze medal in the Olympics for mogul skiing and wants to find his birth family. He was adopted from Seoul, South Korea when he was three years old. My husband and I were watching his winning race and saw the cameras after the race showing his jubilant adoptive mom. Check out this gorgeous babe! Is she hot or what? I'm still learning to do that linky thing - I wanted to surprise you, but, it's late - I'm tired. http://haggardoldpsycho.blogspot.com

With Love to my Mom

One of the favorite stories my mom used to relate about me as a child (about 4 or 5 years old) was when we lived in my favorite house of my childhood memories. It was a big white colonial looking house right across from a sprawling park where I loved to climb the chestnut trees it had in abundance. In the front yard of our house was a narrow flower bed right next to the house. One day my mom started to pick some of the colorful flowers until I pleaded with her not to. She asked, "Why don't you want me to? My response was, "If you pick the flowers, no one walking by will be able to see them." Took me years to understand why she told that story so often. Finally I realized, she was proud because I cared about other people and that made her mother's heart happy. And I still care - it makes me vulnerable, emotional and passionate and, yes, sometimes I am moved to cry for others. Yet, I also live my life to the fullest and am grateful and appreciate all that I have. I am glad that I care - that it matters to me when others are treated unfairly or unjustly. I hope that I always will. Happy Valentine's Day, Mom. I know that you are proud and smiling down from heaven at me knowing I still care about others!

Father Tom Brosnan, an adoptee and a Roman Catholic priest with a parish in New York City said in a speech given at a Catholic Charities, National Maternity and Adoption Conference in 1996: "We were, I believe, victims of the closed adoption system which exerts an extraordinarily powerful hold on all members of the triad. It is a cruel task master and demands untold sacrifices. It is merciless in its destructive power." http://www.openadoption.org/brosnan.htm This is a very old speech - and I am certain many of you have seen it already. It just seems really pertinent to me now as a good friend of mine is reeling from his recent news. His mother has finally been found - but she wants no contact. Every time I hear of a birth mom refusing contact, it hurts me and makes me angry. I know that she is afraid - and needs help - and needs to heal. Reunion can help heal her a great deal - but, only if she is strong enough to take the risk of contact. In the meantime, she is hurting her own son - and rejecting him - again. None of us moms meant to reject our children when we relinquished them, but, I believe that is how some may perceive it. And I honestly can not say that I must blame them - and I am so sorry that we didn't know better.