Hi!  I love to write, and usually, well, all the time actually, I write in reference to sports in one way or another.  It's what I enjoy to do. 

I love writing sports columns expressing my opinions. Some of your emails have clearly disagreed with my thoughts (laugh out loud), but I can accept any and all criticism, or anger in some instances.

Such is the nature of the human-felt emotions that we have for our favorite sports teams. 

But I wonder if you might indulge me for a few minutes to 'hear' what I have to say about something extremely near and dear to my heart.  I hope you'll take the time to give it a read. It's the one cause I champion without any hesitation simply because it's a huge part of my life!

A character from the movie "Field of Dreams" said, “We just don’t recognize the most significant moments of our lives when they happen…”, and I suppose that is true for some, but not for me. 

I had a life experience recently that I knew the moment that it happened was for sure THE most significant moment of my life. 

January 23, 2011 was that most blessed day. The day I discovered my birth family after 37 and a half years of life -  my entire life - of not knowing my birth right.

I came to learn, in the months following my discovery, some things about my mother, my siblings and many other things about the family I had never known, but was finally getting to know. 

My birth mother, Marilyn, was 40 years old, broke and living single during her pregnancy with me.  Marilyn seemed to always make the wrong decisions in life. Her children, my five older brothers and sisters, struggled as they were raised in less than appropriate environments. 

So fast forward to the creation of me.  She probably had every reason to consider abortion, every reason to consider terminating the conception of her sixth child.  But she didn’t do that.  She chose life.  And I can’t measure that, and I would never try. 

I never had the chance to love or even embrace Marilyn Carroll, but I can tell you this, I love her with unconditional love, simply because she chose to give me life. 

As my oldest sister, Noelle, told me, if Marilyn made any good decision in her life, it was to give me the opportunity to live a life with another family, and that, my friends, is a true definition of love.  I will always love her simply because of her selfless act to put me up for adoption.

Adoption is  a blessing!  The most wonderful and beautiful of blessings!  And it doesn’t matter what side you find yourself on. 

My message to you would simply be this, if giving up a child for adoption is the right thing in your heart, then do it!  It really doesn’t matter what anyone thinks, YOU are blessing the child by giving the child a home full of love. 

There are so many people, couples, families in the world full of love, but who can’t have a child for whatever reason.  Take my parents for example. They couldn’t conceive children, so they blessed their home by adopting two children, myself and my sister Amy - a true blessing for all of us! 

And if you want to adopt, well, first of all, God Bless You. And secondly, stay the course! 

Yes, it can be a long, tedious and perhaps even difficult process. But I promise you the reward will far outweigh the process of getting to the finish line. 

In fact, adopting a child will be one race that you’ll win every day, every moment that you have with your special blessing!

William B “Vinnie” Vinzetta  (Baby Boy Carroll)