After my father left my hometown, I turned my focus on my mother. Reaching out to her ended up being more delicate process, but I found a warm and immediately caring woman… once she picked herself up off the floor and got over the shock of hearing from me. This is the moment you always worry about as an adult adoptee… no one wants to insert themselves and cause distress in another’s life.
After exchanging emails, we quickly scheduled a phone call. She was amazed at the technology that exists to open doors and share information in this modern age of DNA testing and the internet.
Since 50+ years had passed, she was in a place in her life where she could be open to the possibilities. It was a life-long wait for both of us, but the timing was just right. When I found her, she was in the middle of caring for her elderly mother who then passed away two weeks after we first spoke. I was saddened to have missed knowing my 95-year-old grandmother. For my mother, to lose your beloved mother and hear from the daughter given up so many decades before was a lot to process, but it turned out to be a positive blessing for both of us. The relationship that develops and immediate hunger to share about our lives could never have been anticipated.
Julienne Travis - Author 