Dear Macy

Dear Macy,

Hi there, how are you doing? How is school and all the tutoring classes going for you? I hope things are going well and you are happy. I am Macy, your older self, currently 25 years old, working and living in Texas, USA. I know that you might start to freak out and think that I am crazy. I don’t know if you have said “Yes!” to adoption or not but please keep reading this letter and you can make up your mind afterwards.

First, let’s start with What adoption means? From the perspective of me (you), it means a chance to be loved, a family, an opportunity, a new start but it also means that you are going to start everything over. That includes: a new language (for you is English and I know you are having a tough time but trust me, it is ALL worth it!), a new environment (instead of a big city like Hong Kong, your family lives in the countryside of Texas), a new culture (food, holidays, etc).

Next, let’s continue with What family means? I know the word “family” does not mean too much to you at the moment because your biological parents gave up your custody and you had to stay with four different foster homes and now in the Small Group Home (SGH). I know that is something you are not comfortable with and feel embarrassed of. You have always wished to have a parent figure to go to your school activities or meeting instead of a social worker or a guardian. I know that you wanted to have a place to call home as you see your friends from the SGH go home on holidays and weekends and you have nowhere to go besides staying there. You are afraid to wish and dream of having a family anymore as you know that it will never happen and people always let you down. But, I wanted you to know that by giving yourself a chance, you WILL have the opportunity to have a place called home, you will be loved by your family and never be alone again. Your future family will always be there for you no matter how old you are, they will support you no matter what, and they will protect and guide you as best as they could. Yes, of course you are going to have a tough time at the beginning of being a part of the family because “family” is something you never had before and it does take time to learn how to be part of it and put your guard down to feel the love and care that your family gives you. It was never easy to start or build any relationship but please trust the process as your family has come a long way from wanting YOU to become part of the family to coming to get you and bringing you home.

Furthermore, let’s talk about What America means? To me, America means opportunities, possibilities, and home. When I was in Hong Kong, the only goal I had was to get a passing grade in all of my classes as the education system was insane. After all the studying and tutoring I was exhausted on a daily basis. It is hard to dream when your only focus is to get good grades and be able to get into universities in HK. When I moved to America, studying seemed less stressful and I felt like I am actually good at it. Don’t get me wrong or give you the wrong perception that getting good grades are easy in America, all I am saying is that as long as you are willing to learn and work hard, hard work will pay off. Of course, one of the biggest challenges will still be the language but people are very nice and friendly here so as long as you are willing to give it a try then it will become natural to you as time flies by. Since grades are not the issue anymore, I can try and dream things I have never thought of when I was in HK. America means opportunities and possibilities, but it also means HOME to me. After living in the US for 5 years, I went back to HK to visit friends. I still remember that when I was in HK, I got a text from my grandmother and she said “Have fun in Hong Kong, be careful and please come back home! We love you!” I know that my family loves me very much and America is where my family is so it will always be Home for me.

In the end, I hope that my sharing can change your mind from saying “No!” to getting adopted to “Yes, I will give it a try”. There are families out there that want you and please give yourself a chance to be loved. The last question I have for you is Knowing all of the questions I answered above, do you want to be adopted by an American family?

Love,

Macy McAnally