Dear Birth Family,
As I sit to write this letter, I find it difficult to put into words how I’m feeling. My heart is pounding with excitement and emotion, mostly because I know exactly how much lives can change because of adoption. I can imagine that this is a very challenging time, and I totally understand the wide range of emotions that the adoption process makes birth families feel. I hope that once we connect, start to talk and get to know each other it gets a bit easier and the process starts to become more real and less scary.
I was born in Nashville, Tennessee but grew up in The Bahamas enjoying the sunshine and spending summers on the beach with my family. The Bahamas is my mother and my father’s birth country. I consider myself to be Caribbean American and I keep the traditions and cultural food of my Bahamian upbringing very much a part of my life. I had a great childhood! My father was a Minister and my mother was a bank manager during my childhood. My father was also a teacher, and I remember spending many school vacations with him and my sister. We went to Disney World and traveled to other places in the United States.
I have 1 older sister and 2 younger brothers who came along after I had already left for college, but we still have a very close relationship. My sister is my best friend and we talk on the phone every day. I have a huge family. 16 aunts and uncles, and too many cousins to count! My family is extremely close, and will be a huge part of the life of any children that I have.
When I was in elementary school I enjoyed participating in different afterschool clubs. My favorites were anything to do with the arts. I was in school plays and participated in modern dance and ballet and traveled with my dance troupe. I was shy as a child and it sometimes took me a while to warm up to people. I was very close to my parents and sister and would only spend time away from them at night if I was at my grandparents’ house. My mother’s parents lived in the same house that my mom grew up in which was a 5 minute walk from where we lived. My grandmother still lives there to this day.
My sister, my cousins and I, spent a lot of time walking or riding our bikes back and forth. My father’s dad lived with us in the house my father grew up in, until he died when I was around 11 years old. He was blind, but I remember spending a lot of time with him and watching how he moved around his house, cooked and took care of us with ease.
● Some of my favorite foods as a child were pancakes, french fries, mangoes and plums.
● My favorite childhood vacation was a cruise with my family when I was 10 years old.
I would say that I was a typical high school student. I got mostly As and Bs except in science. I was never really good at that subject. I grew out of my shyness and had a lot of friends. I still enjoyed dancing and also started participating in community service projects. I was funny, could tell a great story and I always looked out for the underdog. I enjoyed spending time at the beach, reading and writing in my journal. I graduated high school when I was 17 and went to college in Tennessee. I received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology in 2005.
I lived in Tennessee for a few years after college before I moved to Maryland. I enjoyed my time living in Maryland, because it was close to Washington, DC and there were so many great things to do in the area. My favorite things were going to see plays at the Kennedy Center, baseball games at Nationals Park and eating at all the great restaurants. The summer was filled with festivals like the Cherry Blossom Festival and the museums and memorial sites always had something to offer.
● My favorite live play is Wicked: The Musical. I’ve seen it 3 times.
● I’m a huge Harry Potter fan.
● My favorite color is purple.
● One of my favorite cities to visit is London.
● I like cooking vegetarian food, but I’m not a vegetarian
● I love to dance.
I have been living in Europe since 2012. I’m a little bit quirky, I’m funny (well I think I’m hilarious anyway), I love to read and travel learning about new cities and trying out unusual and different foods. I can already picture myself with your child taking road trips, visiting museums, looking at beautiful churches and learning about the history of any place we visit. I can imagine nights cuddled up in bed reading books and making up stories of our next adventure. I worked as a child care provider for children from infant to 4 years old for 6 years before I became the Director. After 7 years, I decided it was time to make a change and I am now the Director of an after school program for children kindergarten through 5th grade. I love my job and having the ability to interact with kids, to teach them and learn from them every day is one of the best feelings.
My father being a Pastor has a lot to do with my faith and belief in God. I spent a lot of my childhood, teenage and early adult years attending church activities. Spirituality and prayer plays a very important part in my life and is the foundation for the decisions that I make and how I live. I feel that everyone has a destiny, a life that we are called to lead. I try every day to live a life that is honest, kind and treats everyone with respect and openness. I will raise your child the same way and encourage them to be their authentic selves whatever that may be. I don’t believe that God makes mistakes. Everyone should be valued for who they are.
I always knew that I wanted to be a mom. I think that my greatest quality is my capacity to love. I know that you are looking for a wonderful home and future for your child and I am looking to share my love and life by bringing a child into my family. I believe that we are looking for each other.
I understand that choosing to entrust your child to a single mother, might be a difficult choice. I promise that I will raise your child with compassion and understanding. Your child will have a life filled with extended family, aunts, uncles, grandparents and a host of other supportive people in my community. If I am given this opportunity this will be the first grandchild for my parents and to say that they are excited is an understatement! Any child that is a part of my life will be extremely loved.
My parents encouraged me to reach for the stars, to have fun, to work hard and to be respectful of others. I will raise your children the same way. I have so many great memories of my childhood. Time spent with my sister, parents, my extended family and later my brothers. We did many things together as a family. Trips and family game nights and sometimes each reading a different book in the same room just to be near each other. I understand the importance of community and family and I value this above all things. I hope to share these values with your child. Values of love and togetherness. Values of family and friendship.
I have been praying for you and your child. While I have never had to make the choice that you now face, know that I understand that it is not an easy one. It is a loving and brave one. I am open to post adoption contact and willing to discuss with you what you would feel comfortable with, and what will be best for everyone. I want to close by wishing you well on this journey and expressing how much I appreciate this gift.
Sincerely,
LaVonda
