I am sharing this with many. The last two lines - just yes. Thank you for your thoughts and words on this. It is so hard to really explain, so sharing this is very important.
I like reading your perspectives, Tony. I’ve always stayed away from adoption message boards and such because they seem to be a morass of negative emotion. There’s been no shortage of negative experiences in the 35 years since my own reunions, but I have a legalist mindset to sorting through issues and resolving my problems. It’s rare to find fellow adoptees who describe their experience with the emotional content dialed way down.
I’m not knocking adoptees who express a lot of emotion; there’s a lot to be outraged about. But I’ve always processed my emotional experience through the analytical construct of law. The court that finalized my adoption in 1967 is also the court that released my unredacted relinquishment and adoption orders in 1987, which led to my reunions with my birth parents. That same year, I got my first job in law.
Those experiences with law and the courts at such a young age shaped the way I processed the shockwaves in my life. I still work in law, I’m still engaging with the court of my adoption (which has been a tremendous advocate for my wholeness, now as I pursue Irish citizenship by descent), and it means a lot to read your articles and discover a fellow traveler on the exact same path.
I am sharing this with many. The last two lines - just yes. Thank you for your thoughts and words on this. It is so hard to really explain, so sharing this is very important.
Shared and share. Thank you, Tony.
Thank you, Tony. And thank you for our recent connection on social media. These are well-expressed thoughts that resonate very strongly with me.
I like reading your perspectives, Tony. I’ve always stayed away from adoption message boards and such because they seem to be a morass of negative emotion. There’s been no shortage of negative experiences in the 35 years since my own reunions, but I have a legalist mindset to sorting through issues and resolving my problems. It’s rare to find fellow adoptees who describe their experience with the emotional content dialed way down.
I’m not knocking adoptees who express a lot of emotion; there’s a lot to be outraged about. But I’ve always processed my emotional experience through the analytical construct of law. The court that finalized my adoption in 1967 is also the court that released my unredacted relinquishment and adoption orders in 1987, which led to my reunions with my birth parents. That same year, I got my first job in law.
Those experiences with law and the courts at such a young age shaped the way I processed the shockwaves in my life. I still work in law, I’m still engaging with the court of my adoption (which has been a tremendous advocate for my wholeness, now as I pursue Irish citizenship by descent), and it means a lot to read your articles and discover a fellow traveler on the exact same path.