Affidavit

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On Monday, April 19th, 2021, I filed a motion to order and petition the Texas court to unseal my adoption paperwork.
This is something I had been working on, but I just never knew the best way to go about it. Biggest concern being that it might be rejected. I filed it electronically on their website, and after multiple calls with the county clerk for assistance and clarification, I was able to submit my order and petition.
Once that was done, I prepared myself for the worse, and potentially a long wait.

Yesterday, April 20th, 2021, at 12:09 pm, my phone rings. I recognize the number coming in from Texas. To my suprise, it was the county clerk, and he let me know that the Judge signed the order to unseal it. Holy shit! First off, it was less than 24 hours. Second, I got it!
I asked him what was next. How do I get the paperwork, and can it be emailed? He transferred me to their records department to figure out the details, and if I had to pay any fees.

I spoke with a lady in the records department, and explained to her what just happened. She asked for my case number to verify and confirm everything. She put me on a brief hold, and when she got back, she was said I could go ahead and come down there to pick up the copies with proof of ID. For a split second my heart sank.
I told her I live in Ohio and was told it could be emailed over. She then transferred me back to the lead clerk to sort that out.

Once again I speak with the clerk and let him know what the records department told me. He said this has never been an issue before, but he's going to check again. He asked for my case number, I get put on another hold, and few minutes later, he lets me know it's all good. In my mind, I'm just going, YES!

He then asks what specifically I wanted from the files, as it's 51 pages worth of documents. I let him know I have no idea what's on file, so if the Judge signed off for the whole thing, then I'll take the whole thing. He said he was just trying to save me some money since it's 20 cents a page to have it scanned and sent. I'm thinking, I don't care if it's 5 dollars a page! This is all the important information as it pertains to me. It's my Certificate of Abandonment and Relinquishment that I've been trying to get this whole time in order to get the name of the orphanage or hospital of where I was adopted from. It's the next piece of the puzzle. It's a part of my identity! My mind's going's mile a minute, but I simply tell him that that's not a problem, just let me know how to makes the payment.

He gives me an email address to email and let's me know thee instructions will come from there. I email it, they respond with a site to make the payment.
21 dollars and 50 cents later, I wait some more.

Then at 1:11 pm, my inbox gets a notification, and there it is.

A pdf document with all 51 pages of my adoption file.

I've read it 3 times so far. There's so much still to process. It has the information I've been looking for. But not enough to know where or who my biological kin are. It's another stepping stone to my journey forward, and it's a big one.

What's interesting is that my document from the Indian government is titled "Affidavit". A sworn statement of my existence. Of my abandonment. Of the fact that here's a child available for the taking.
But it's my Affidavit. 

I understand today why it's so important for Adoptees to have their paperwork. It doesn't matter what's on it. What it's called. Or how much information is or isn't there. It's that physical piece of evidence in the world that is a part of who I am. For me, as a Late Discovery Adoptee, it's helping shed light on what is true after being lied to for so long. 

Call it what you will, but just today I came across this video from the International Social Service in Australia on the importance for Adoptees to find their origins. And I felt every bit of it after having just got my paperwork. Click here for the link, or watch the embed video below:



I really just wanted to take a minute and document all of this for myself and for those that have been following along with my story. As I continue to go over these 51 pages, I know I'll have plenty of other thoughts and emotions. And as I process those, I know I'll have more to share. Thanks for reading!

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