Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.
Martin Luther King Jr. (1929 - 1968), Strength to Love, 1963

So, did you hear the good news? Illinois passed a law to help adoptees. Nope it’s not open records, that would be too easy. Instead they passed a law that will make it possible to recieve the same benefits as biological children. :gasp:

Sponsored by Rep. Sara Feigenholtz (D-Chicago) and Sen. Rickey R. Hendon (D-Chicago), House Bill 49 ensures that legally adopted children get the same benefits as biological children when a parent dies and that surviving children receive benefits from public pension plans, a release from the governor’s office said.

Survivor’s benefits are provided to children if a parent dies in the line of duty or after having served in a “pension eligible” position, the release said. The bill amends 15 pension codes for many public positions including General Assembly members, firefighters and police. Some codes previously denied benefits to adopted children.

You can read a little more here: Adopted to get same benefits as biological kids

I couldn’t believe those laws were even on the books. I had check the calendar to make sure it’s the 21st century.
It is. :wacko:
But hey, at least they are changing the laws now.

Johnny Smith: Okay, one of my visions was a little off.
Bruce Lewis: ‘A little off’. Do you understand what it means in the context of the rest of humanity for your brain to be ‘a little off’? That puts you in another galaxy far, far away.
Dead Zone

I love the show Dead Zone with Anthony Michael Hall on USA. If you haven’t seen the show, it’s based off the book by Steven King which tells the story of Johnny Smith, a man who was in a coma and wakes up to discover he can sometimes see the past or future by touching people or objects. Sometimes, it’s obvious what he sees, other times its hard to tell what to do.

This past Sunday, he picked up a postcard and got a flash for a friend of his being killed. He calls her and tells her not to go to the town where the postcard is from and then proceeds there himself to see what’s up. She of course, ignores him and also goes because it’s her birthday and she doesn’t want to be alone, setting herself up for the very tragedy he saw in his vision. During the show, Johnny meets a lady who runs the local diner (which has a big pink spoon over it and was featured on the post card) who begins explaining that running away from his troubles (which is why he is in this little town) is not a good idea because she once got pregnant and gave the child up to provide a better life and has been running from it ever since and she regrets it.

So, our hero Johnny and his lady friend (who is also a bit psychic) go off and catch the bad guys, after having gotten caught by them, and save the day. As they are sitting dow for pie, our hero begins wondering why he saw his friend when he touched the postcard of the big pink spoon since that actually brought her into danger. He figures he must have seen her for some other reason. Come to find out that the cards are made by the lady who runs the diner and of course it follows that she is the friends mom. The girl had always had a vision of a pink spoon on her birthday and didn’t know why. (She thought it was just a sign she should eat ice cream.)
All in all, a nice little closing and the adoptee wasn’t the criminal or psycho in the end so that was cool, she was psychic though. I had a thought for an episode where an adoptee asks Johnny to track down his mom and he decides to do it because he sees a great catastrophe if he doesn’t. Winds up, by finding her, the adoptee is able to provide a much needed kidney to her. Not sure where I got the idea.

It’s funny how adoption keeps cropping up. Even though I haven’t been reading much online recently it stills sneaks up on you. For example, while working on a computer at work, I came across an email from another employee that was asking if anyone who knows of a mother or perspective mother who may be thinking of giving up her child to open adoption because they have a friend who is looking. My first reaction was anger but then I realised that it was an opportunity. I wrote a brief email to the employee and included the recommendations for adoptive parents. I also offered to talk to them or share some of my books with them. He thanked me but said little else. Hopefully they will review it and take something away from it. Hopefully they will have a truly open adoption and everything will be okay in the world. Maybe they will call.

I’ve grown certain that the root of all fear is that we’ve been forced to deny who we are.
Frances Moore Lappe, O Magazine, May 2004

I have been reading about a lot of reunions and I have to say it hurts. Especially with my birthday just a few days ago. I don’t want to deny them this nor do I wish they didn’t have this but I am so jealous. Tonight though, I read of another who was turned away and my heart aches for them. As I read their pain in the few short lines, it became a mirror of my own which I had pushed down. How can someone do this to another being, there own children? I know that there may be fear or pain on the other side but take a chance please.

Let go of the fear that is holding you back and take a chance on your blood. Set yourself free of the shame or regrets. Whatever is holding you back, let it go and embrace us.

How simple a thing it seems to me that to know ourselves as we are, we must know our mothers’ names.
Alice Walker

As I was laying my youngest son in bed just now, I was overcome with a pain deep in my chest. With tears in my eyes, I just held him for a few minutes. The feeling was so strange. I have been stressed recently; a new job, new baby, my older son has been a bit of a pill. I also have another event happening: my birthday which is a week away. As I get closer, I have been thinking more of her. Where is she, what is she doing? Why hasn’t she contacted me? So many groups that I belong to are filled with adoptees who have reunited and it’s like little pin pricks. I keep considering not going to these meetings but like a moth to a flame, of course I do. A part of me wishes my birthday was past but a part is looking forward to a few presents and dinner with my family.

It’s weird to think that some thirty plus years ago, was the last time I saw my birthmother. I wish I could remember something from back then but I can’t remember when I was thirteen much less a newborn.

I wish she would just write to me. I wish I knew for sure the name I have is hers. I wish I knew her.