the early "search"

Now that she's older Patricia will not be speaking in the third person.

 Growing up I always wondered about who had brought me into this world.  I was very thankful that in the early 60's Roe v Wade was not the law of the land and that couples who could not give birth had the option of adoption. My birth mother chose life and made my family very happy for doing so.  The one thing I want to say to my birth mother is thank you for making that decision, life.

When I turned 18, I figured that I could start my search, but life has a funny way of getting in the way.  My mom gave me all my "paper work" - the correspondences between social workers, lawyers and case workers. As I said in my past blog, I always knew that I was adopted and was made to feel that this was a special thing and that I was very much loved. I discovered a reference to Patricia Robinson in a RE: on one of the documents and believe that to be my birth name. In similar documents of my brother's, that place is blacked out - which seemed to confirm Robinson as my birth name.

So in the pre-internet day, how does one search? (especially when only 18+ and no money or idea of where to start).While I was in High School, every June 22 and every Halloween I would search the classified in Newsday, never thinking that my birth family may not live on Long Island. I would watch reunion shows on tv and write down registries but never registered. So really, I was hoping they would find me.  Maybe it was a little fear of rejection or fear of what I may find out... but still I was curious and wanted to know who I was.