Ray was born in 1952 and spent the first five years of his life in an orphanage. He remembers those years well, especially the adoption process - which was so different then.

"Back then, the Colorado State Home for Dependent and Neglected Children allowed prospective parents to 'check you out like a library book,'.... to see how a child would fit in with their family."

After several of those disappointing experiences, the orphanage matron awakened Ray from his bed one night and carried him to a counter. A couple was waiting, with a stocking cap for Ray's head and a stuffed dog for his arm. They swept him off the counter, took him home and have been "mom" and "dad" ever since.

Ray still has the stocking cap and the toy dog. Source: National Public Radio

Labels: adoptees, stories

Posted By: Aspen Education Group