In a funny bit of coincidence, I worked on two similar stories that were published the week of Thanksgiving. Both involved adoptions, and both took place down the road from each other in Waterford, CT. The first was for the news section, a story about a family and the difficulties they faced in adopting two children.

The Long family was gracious enough to open their house to me for several days. By the time I had finished the story, I almost felt like a part of the family. The second story ran in the sports section as a preview to the Waterford-East Lyme Thanksgiving Day football game. Davonta Valentine, a senior on the Waterford team, was adopted a year ago after a difficult childhood.

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