Coming Home

I have dreamed of the day that I hope will come very soon. Born in Liverpool in 1955 I was torn away from my family in 1961, at age 6, and adopted out to the United States. I was not allowed to speak of my brothers, sisters, mother or father, my foster parents, Nova Scotia or Canada. I longed to be home for the next 48 years. Ten years ago a baby sister I didn't know I had found me. She was born when I was 4 in Nova Scotia just as the family broke up and we were separated. Terrie was adopted to a family in Chicago, me to Michigan. From our reunion in 1994, my adoptive parents finally accepted my destiny to return to Nova Scotia. I was in a foster home near my brother, Edward, in Caledonia from age 4-6. We were very close and I always missed him. After my baby sister found me it only took one phone call to Nova Scotia directory assistance to find Edward, as I always remembered my birth name. From that first conversation I reunited with Louis, Nettie, Marion and Johnny. They all stayed in Nova Scotia in either a foster home, orphanage or with family. In 2000 I started the task of resuming my Canadian citizenship. At first I would have had to immigrate back to Canada as a US citizen as I lost my Canadian citizenship in 1977 when a new Canadian law took my citizenship away. My brother, Edward, was able to obtain my Nova Scotia birth certificate in 1997 but it was in my birth name. I had no proof that my adopted name was the same person that was on the Nova Scotia birth certificate. In 2005 my adoption records were opened in the state of Michigan, where my adoption was finalized. I was finally able to prove that I was the same person that was on my Nova Scotia birth certificate. Vital statistics now have my present, adopted name included on my birth certificate. Another new law enacted in Canada in 2007 would allow me to resume Canadian citizenship. The next few years was spent finding documents required to resume my Canadian citizenship. An additional law in 2009 made it possible to automatically have my Canadian citizenship restored. I applied for a Canadian passport and I am now in the proud possession of a Canadian passport. My next quest is to have a "Proof of Canadian Citizenship Certificate", which I applied for several months ago. With the severe recession here in the United States I am slowly saving funds to return home very soon. I can't wait to feel Nova Scotian soil under my feet again.