We were lucky to catch up with Carolyn Sawyer recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Carolyn thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

In July of 2008, The State of Colorado opened sealed adoption records for babies born and given up for adoption from 1950 to 1970.

I requested and was given the sealed original documents that would provide the details of my adoption, such as my original birth certificate which would include my biological parents’ names, birthdates, and race as well as the parents that chose me to become a part of their family.

This information would lead me to the discovery of my biological father.

In May 2023 I took the risk to write a chapter featured in the book “Voices of the 21st Century, Women Empowered through Passion and Purpose.” My chapter is entitled Brave Enough. My story is about being courageous and vulnerable enough to act on my divine longing to discover my biological father and ancestry.

There have been many times in life that I have been called upon to be courageous, but this experience was more meaningful and far-reaching than what “ordinary” bravery calls for. This extraordinary search and find process helped to complete a missing part of myself. There is no question that God ordained our divine meeting.

Carolyn, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I am a recent retiree, a native of Colorado, and the mother of three accomplished adults.

My goal is to inspire and motivate others through the tenets of love, honesty, and compassion as an aspiring writer/author.

I am writing a book about my life as an adoptee. It will convey the experiences of finding additional members of my biological family and the humor, patience, and grace exercised to establish healthy relationships. One of the things that has helped me understand the process of being an adoptee is when I was a teenager, I became pregnant and gave my child up for adoption. I feel I can provide perspective on both sides of the adoption process.

With genomics playing a vital role today in helping others explore their ancestry, I believe my stories could offer candid information and motivation to encourage others to fulfill a lifelong aspiration or an answer to a prayer of finding one’s biological family.

Thankfully, my stories have provided me with happy experiences. Still, sadly, many stories of uniting with biological family members do not all have a satisfactory ending or give closure to the adoptee.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

We’re in the age of DNA discovery or Genomics. Many individuals have opted to find out their health and ancestry history, and while doing so have been “surprised” by the information they’ve discovered. After being adopted as an only child, my friend found out that he had thirteen brothers and sisters! It was a delightful discovery for him.

As an aspiring author, I aim to openly share my adoption experience to help others navigate similar paths. After finding your biological relatives, what’s the next step? I will offer valuable insights from my journey. It’s important to remember that while finding your biological family can provide answers, it may not necessarily resolve everything. My objective is to convey my adoption/adoptee experience to others in a manner that is honest and transparent. So, what comes after you’ve found your biological relatives?

I have successfully found my biological father, brother, and my son. I have quite the story to tell!

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

I struggled with a sense of incompleteness as a biracial person who was also adopted. Not knowing exactly who I was or where I came from was a significant challenge for me. I was born in 1953, at a time when being biracial was not widely accepted by society. Being adopted only added to the complexity of my identity. It was a constant battle to understand what made me who I am. I have had to adjust to my circumstances, but it wasn’t always easy, especially dealing with questions and judgment from others that my immature mind was not prepared to understand or answer.

I remember when I was confirmed in the church as a young adult, the pastor gave us all a keyword, mine was adaptable.

Now that I’m fully grown, as they say, I can illustrate my resilience by looking back to see how strong, flexible, and courageous I’ve been in my life. Finding my biological family gave me the knowledge of who I am biologically, as well as a feeling of completion and belonging. For me, that was a miracle, a prayer answered, and a divine appointment fulfilled.

My belief is everything happens in God’s time. I am grateful for my life’s journey. I am hoping that I can help someone else along their path.

Contact Info:

• Facebook: Carolyn Elaine Sawyer
• Other: G Mail: [email protected]