Dear Mr. Postal Worker

Everyday I get asked the same three questions. How are your kids? How's your dog? How's your search going for you biological family? Since nobody really cares how someone's kids are and people really only want to see pictures of your dog, I'll answer the last question by sharing with you a letter I wrote to my postman. (I have a feeling many of you would rather see pictures of my dog, sorry, I promise to share some next time.)

Dear Mr. Postman, AKA Mr. Postal Worker, AKA Jack,

I'm writing you this letter for a few different reasons. First I want to express my thanks for all your hard work. You really do work through all sorts of bad weather conditions, faithfully delivering my precious snail paper mail everyday, except Sunday and federal holidays, of which there are many. Not that you don't deserve all these days off, you do.

I also want you to know I hope that the proposed cuts in jobs and pay for postal workers doesn't happen. I really don't think you make too much money and I wish I could have Sundays and any holiday off too.

But the main reason I'm writing you is because I want you to know that I am expecting a very important letter. This letter has the potential to change my life.

On December 2nd I mailed a petition to the court in Massachusetts where my final adoption took place requesting the opening of my sealed adoption record. If granted, it should give me access to my original birth certificate. There are so many reasons, reasons I've written about in my blog, I need/want my original birth certificate and feel it should be my human right to have it. It's up to a judge now whether I will be granted this request and expect the decision to be mailed to me when it's reached.

Needless to say, December is not a great time to expect mail. With all the holidays and such. There are also a lot of holidays in January and February too. I did call the court to make sure they received the petition and they did, but apparently courts also get federal holidays off.

So I check my mail box everyday, including Sundays and holidays (because mail might have stuck to the top of the inside of my mailbox on Saturday) for the reply from the judge.

Well, thanks again for all of your hard work. Email is faster, but at least you don't deliver any daemons to me. However, if you could also not leave me Christian mail I would appreciated it. I know they are just worried about my soul, but since I am Jewish, there's really no worries.

Sincerely,
Heidi (AKA the lady with the cute dog who would never bite you)

Addendum: I might bite the postman but my sweet dog never would...see comments!

Summer's Over, Darn

We did have a lot of fun though.

Jumping in the pool!

Performing water ballet!

Jumping at the Jersey Shore!

Playing in the sand at the Jersey Shore.

Growing beautiful flowers.

Starting to build a greenhouse.

Making flower arrangements.

I wish Summer wasn't over; I had a lot of fun with the family. However, I'm really glad school has started.

43 Year Old Vermont Woman Arrested for Attempted Breaking and Entering into the NYS Vital Records Office...

Police Beat_

Albany County NY_

Heidi L., a 43 year old Vermont woman was arrested Monday for attempted breaking and entering into the New York State Vital Records Office, located at 800 North Pearl Street, Menands, NY.

The woman was allegedly trying to obtain a copy of her own original birth certificate.

Her efforts were thwarted by a passerby, who becoming mildly alarmed, shouted "Damn, woman, what's wrong with you? You'll never bust into that building with just a JC Penney Platinum credit card.!"

To which, according to the eyewitness, the woman started crying and mumbling something about, not having an "original birth certificate" and not knowing who she is!

The witness, fearing this woman might be insane, called the police and reported what was happening. He then handed the woman a paper bag containing a half drunk bottle of Mad Dog 20/20, stating "you look like you could use a drink." then fled the scene before police arrive.

Later, a photo sent anonymously was tagged to the local police departments Facebook page.


Heidi L. was arraigned in Menands Village Court and released after paying a $30 fine, coincidentally the same amount it would cost for her to get a copy of her birth certificate, if it was in fact available to her.

******************************************************
For those of you that don't know me, I'M KIDDING! For those of you that do know me, you know I've seriously contemplated this course of action!
******************************************************
Click on the label "adoption" below to read more about my search for my birth family.
******************************************************
I recently joined the online support group NY Adoptees. If you were born/adopted in NY or know someone who is adopted, please join.

Are You My Mama?

I called the PI, twice. Finally she got back to me via email. She claims that my case is still open and they are still searching for my biological family. The problem they are having is that my information states that I was born in one state, New York, and was adopted in another, Massachusetts.

Neither state is willing to give me even my non-identifying information. Which they both would give, if I had been born and adopted in one of those states. But not both!

I already knew this. I was denied the ability to even register as an adoptee in these states which means any bio family would be denied also. But I've already written about this issue in past posts.

Still frustrated and annoyed.

So tonight I'm going to start searching online for a new PI. Then tomorrow I'm going to call some and see if I can't find any with the ability or experience, to break through these barriers.

The only good thing about the PI I have now, is that I haven't had to pay anything. I have a set fee contracted to pay only when they find someone living in my bio family. Name, address, phone number.

Again, any suggestions?

Who Do You Think I Am?

I've never watched the show Who Do You Think You Are. I am unable to not get upset, even during commercials for those types of TV shows. It's not like they are doing anything extraordinary. The actors know who they are, they know their names and their parents names, things every human being has a right to know.

I just want to know my name.

I try not to be bitter or angry about famous people getting free -and of course themselves being paid-help finding their ancestry. That's just life, and sometimes life isn't fair.

Yes, my search for my biological family is still the one thing that makes me feel sorry for myself. It's the one thing that can cause me to cry spontaneously.

I don't want people to feel sorry for me, I just want help. Because of the unusual details of my adoption, I don't even know how to continue with my search. The usual paths don't seem to apply to me.

But I've decided to try and take a more active part in my search. So for my next blog posts, I'm going to write about at least one thing I've done to search.

Any suggestions will be appreciated.
*************************************
Today I called the PI I hired 2 years ago. In the beginning, I would email her every week, then every month, then a year went by, nothing. I emailed her about six months ago and she did say not to give up, that my case was taking longer than usual..

So now it's been over 2 years and I decided to call instead of email. I reached the founder of the PI agency, told her my name and asked if she was still working on my case. She told me that she was not in the office, but would get back to me tonight after 4. Sure.

I'm going to try and not cry.

I'll update as soon as she calls me back.
************************************
If you want to find out more about my adoption search story, click on the label 'Adoption' below.