Dear Birth Parent(s),

Hello. Thank you for reading our letter and thank you for considering an adoption plan for your child. We can never fully understand what you must be going through, but we are grateful that your love for your child has led you to think of adoption.

What makes us different? Why should you even consider us? Our names are Alice and Richard. We have been married for eight wonderful years. Richard is kind, patient, a great friend and a great teacher - he taught Alice rock climbing, house painting, photography and target shooting - as well as how to love the outdoors. Alice is a very good cook, is generous, has a big heart and is very compassionate - she cries during news reports on anything to do with children or animals and during Extreme Makeover Home Edition.

We have been blessed - blessed in having each other, our dogs and our extended families. We have been blessed in being able to do the things that we have always wanted to do. Richard recently retired from British government service and Alice works for the American government. Our work enabled us to live overseas and travel to many places - India, China, England, Spain and Pakistan, to name just a few. We are currently living in Canada on an official assignment with the American government.

One thing that we have always wanted is a family of our own. After years of infertility treatments, we knew that we were not going to be able to realize our dreams of parenting if we continued on that path. Unfortunately, our plans for a family had to be put on hold while we served our countries on official assignments in far flung parts of the world. Now that we have returned to North America, we have started on the journey to parenthood through adoption. Our own parents continue to be a fantastic inspiration to us both and we owe them a huge debt - a debt that we are determined to pay forward through our own roles as parents.

Becoming parents and giving a child all the wonderful opportunities that we can offer is our greatest desire. Fortunately, we have the means to do this - we have homes in Canada and Montana and plan to build another one in Texas, too. Our work gives us the chance to continue to travel around the world as well as the joy of always coming back to America. And most importantly, we have an enormous amount of love to give. We will provide your child with a life that is filled with love, fun, education, the outdoors and exposure to many different cultures.

In today's world there are many challenges. We believe strongly that parents have a duty and responsibility to provide the guidance, encouragement and support necessary to navigate the sometimes difficult paths that we all encounter. We will do our very best to make sure your child has the tools, knowledge and character to do this.

We will tell your child about your love and selfless act in pursuing an adoption plan. The "adoption story" is one that we will tell your child from an early age. Your child will always know where she or he came from and how very much you wanted the best for him or her.

We will happily share photos, letters, e-mails and phone calls with you, keeping you informed of how your child is growing - as much as you would like. Should you also wish it, we would be delighted to organize visits in which you could see and experience for yourself the beautiful person we will be helping your child become.

Thank you again for taking the time to read our letter. God Bless you!

Richard & Alice