Our Family
Is a circle of strength and love.
With every birth and every union
The circle grows.
Every joy shared adds more love.
Every crisis faced together makes the circle stronger.

These words were written on the gift that Finders Keepers presented to Mike Richards at his retirement celebration in Dover this month. Mike has never given me any information that the law prohibited me from having, but he has given me ideas on where to search, how to look, and the benefit of his love of family history ...anyone's family history! I will miss seeing Mike at Vital Statistics, but I know where he is and I know that his friendship was not just part of his job. For that, I'm grateful for Mike.

I think a lot of people saw a different side of Mike than what they were used to seeing at work. He kept everyone laughing at his "zinger" observations and his memories of some truly strange behaviors! I've seen this side of Mike and knew what was coming, but Mary-Lee was laughing 'till tears came for most of the night.

We both liked "Slower Delaware" Slippery Dumplings, which we agreed were a little like ravioli, but not much, and in chicken soup. Different...!

Well, it's always something, isn't it? This Sunday's News-Journal article was yet another journalistic disgrace that the paper has racked up for itself. They certainly gave adoption a good spot... front page, right next to the South Carolina primary results. But what they did with it! Ouch!

The headline was "Hunting for birth parents." As if adoptee searches are a "recreational sport." As if adoptees were predators and birth parents were their prey! Frankly, the entire article stinks.

Not one birthmother's story of a long-waited reunion was told. Not one adoptee story of a search and reunion was discussed. Not one adoptive parent was quoted.

Instead, the article focused on Catholic Charities' Donna Connor who stated that "not enough time has passed to test the situation." My first question would have been to wonder how much time she considers enough for testing "the situation." The law has been in effect for a little over a year. What rigid standards would she use to decide about the success or failure of the new law? Well, I guess we all can give a good guess at that.

The article also focused on medical records. Peg Bohannon rightly said that many adoptees aren't looking for a reunion, but then she blew it by claiming that what they did want was medical records and a "heritage." Of course, the way this article goes, Peg was no doubt misquoted or taken out of context. I wouldn't be at all surprised.

The article never quoted the people who were denied access to their birth certificate because a birthparent filed a disclosure veto. We at Finders Keepers know who at least one is, but maybe that person's story would have pointed out the problems with the law from an adopted adult's point of view.