Over the years, I went back and forth on the decision to search for my birth parents. I considered many different scenarios. What if they didn’t want to be found? What if I found them and they felt some attachment to me that I didn’t feel for them? I never understood the reunions on television. Why were those strangers hugging and crying? If they didn’t know each other, could they really feel like family? I guess I waited too long to make my decision. In April of 2016 I got a devastating surprise.
As I awaited my Ancestry DNA results, I tried to mentally prepare for the worst. I was excited to find that I had some good matches. While trying to figure out how to navigate the DNA, I was offered the help of a search angel. The next few days were emotionally overwhelming. My results had come in a little earlier than I expected, so day one of my search was also moving day. My angel charged full speed ahead, occasionally sending me a name to search for or a record to find. While I did help some, I felt terrible that I was basically absent from my own search. I didn’t have any idea what I was doing though. The whole thing made my head spin. By that evening, she had narrowed my tree to my birth parents. We found some email addresses and Facebook pages for different members of the family. We discussed my options for making contact. I decided to send out a few emails and Facebook messages. I waited impatiently for a couple of days. Not knowing if the correspondence would be received, we started formulating a backup plan.
My angel offered to act as an intermediary, so we decided she would make a phone call to my paternal grandmother. I went about my day shuffling boxes around, unpacking, and tending to sick kids. I tried not to hold my breath. I didn’t know what time the call would be made or if anyone wound answer on the first attempt. A while later I got a very short message saying that she had spoken with her and for me to let her know when I had some time to talk. There was something about her tone that just seemed off. I told her I was ready.
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