At 3 years old, I was told I was adopted.
I think my parents didn’t want to try and keep it a secret. Busy with school and family vacations, I saw no need in my adolescence to search for the mom and dad that decided to give me away. I was 50 years old when the wind changed. In my sunset years, the curiosity of who they were and why they left me became a hungry fascination.
I contacted LSS/NCA in hopes that they still had my records and perhaps could help me begin the search for my birth parents. They sent out dozens of letters to old addresses and anyone named Robby James*–my birth father. The letter read something like…
“We are looking for a man named Robby James* who may have had a baby girl in 1962. He may have been dating a girl named Sally…”
This was all we knew about my birth parents and I prayed that it was enough. The LSS/NCA staff followed up with each letter–phone calls to kin and old roommates, never knowing if someone would know Robby James.
Over a year later, we received a lead. A gentleman called the office and said, “I may be the person you are looking for but I am not sure. Sally disappeared the day she told me she was pregnant.”
After a detailed discussion, LSS/NCA was able to confirm that he was in fact my father. After fifty years, I was able to hear my father’s voice for the very first time. He cried as he told me that he never wanted to give me up, but he knew at 17 he and Sally wouldn’t be able to take care of a baby.
One month later, I was able to meet my father face to face. It was Thanksgiving and that day I had more to be thankful for than ever before. I was blessed with both the family that raised me and the family that never intended to let me go.
LSS/NCA continues to work with community partners to place children in adopted homes, conducting home studies and follow up visits. To learn more about our search and reunion efforts, please visit our website. Or consider making a donation to ensure that more children find stability and love.
Serve Boldly 