Since both our kids have left the nest, the hubby and I have a lot more time on our hands. He’s taken up gardening. And I have my writing. But we’re always in search of things to do together, apart from eating out, which we do very well. 🙂 I love antiques. Last year I…

In my family one of my relatives had a child at the age of sixteen. He was unmarried and the baby was given up for adoption. It always bothered him, wondering where his daughter was. He never had another child although he did marry. One day he received a call from a young woman who…

In many ways, it’s still a mystery…how I came to be. During a visit to Ellis Island’s American Family Immigration History Center, I was delightfully surprised to be able to locate and obtain an authentic copy of the ship manifest page from the ship, Princess Irene, which brought my maternal birth grandparents, Olympio and Vincenza from…

It hit me while I was at the Orange County Fair several years ago: I have never seen a baby being born. As I watched the sow drop her piglets, I realized that was the first time I had seen a mammal give birth. Sadness and regret welled up within me. Unlike this mama pig,…

I always thought if I had fooled around in high school or college I would have gotten pregnant with twins BUT I waited till marriage, and found out what a struggle it would be to actually conceive!  5 ½ months later, I took on preeclampsia which led to toxemia, and our daughter arrived  2 ½…

It has been widely reported that Adoption in Australia is a difficult, time consuming, and expensive process. In recent times the number of adoptions, both inter-country and overseas has dropped dramatically. Some have suggested that Australia’s past adoption policies have had a significant impact on the political and social ‘red tape’ that exists in today’s…

Four little words rocked my world. As I sat down to dinner and reread my place card, I felt a second pair of eyes watching me. Almond-shaped eyes, to be exact. Ansley’s little body hugged close to the corner of the wall as she said, “Do you like it, Mommy. What I wrote?” How could…

This is the letter I wrote to my nephew’s birth mom a few days after he was adopted by my sister and her husband in April 2012.  Asa came home from the hospital several weeks later after major corrective surgery and now, at six months old, he is thriving and surrounded by a loving family,…

When I was ten years old, my mom, sister and I saw a movie called The Inn of the Sixth Happiness starring Ingrid Bergman. The 1958 movie is based on the true story of a missionary in China who leads 100 Chinese children from one area of China to another during the Japanese-Chinese war. The…

Who are you? I am from Ellis Island and mystery, high school sweethearts and faith hope and charity. I am from strong women, three mothers and loneliness. I am from poodle cookies and chocolate glazed mayonnaise cake. I’m from red velvet dresses and braided rugs. I am from rocks and hills, crashing waves and fog…