My ‘got ya’ Day

10/12/2025

Dear Friend, 

Today is bitter sweet. It's my adoption day, October 12th (1998). 

The sweet is a new beginning in a loving family. They teach me values, love me unconditionally and show me the world. I have grown from a child into a resilient, creative, driven, empathetic and curious person because of the example my family set. 

The bitterness is that I view this day as a severing as much as I do a beginning.  

It is the day I lose a culture, mother tongue, land and people. Even though it is not the day I separated from my biological family, I find myself thinking of them and a life that could have been. 

Each adoptee has their own opinion on ‘got ya day’. Some say the term in itself is offensive and prefer adoption day or family day. Other adoptees are indifferent about the day they were adopted and some are sad while others celebrate it each year. 

Personally, I have swung the full pendulum over my lifetime. When I was a young kid I was indifferent and would not have cared if it was mentioned, celebrated or not. In grade school and high school I was against my culture and by extension my adoption day was not something I discussed, ever. 

Only in the last few years have I found myself thinking about October 12th as a significant day of the year. 

The space between the words Adoption and Day holds more than I could ever explain because it is more than two words. It is as complex as the universe and as simple as breathing. However, I think the feeling can only be truly understood first hand. 

I chose to write this way today because I have written letters to biological family members that are unaddressed. It makes me wonder if they will ever be sent to read or will they remain only ink on pages. 

Regardless, if I had one thing to say to my family biological and adoptive alike, it would be this - 

Thank you for the life you have given me. The sacrifices you make are not lost as I try each day, to give back in a world that can seem so very dark. I know I can be good in the world because even the littlest makes a difference.

Whether taking the risk of having an out of quota child during the one child policy and risking severe repercussions or changing my diapers as a baby and taking me to doctor appointments when I break my foot. I am immensely grateful for my family far and wide. My greatest hope is that I make you proud in spirit and in daily life. 

With Love,

A grateful daughter 

For those interested, the link is my adoption day video.