Adoption Story

Breaking the Ice on International Waters

Breaking the Ice on International Waters

One day, we were standing on the upper deck sipping boat drinks and inhaling the ocean breeze.  My biological dad and I were choking back emotion as we talked about this second chance we were given to know one another.

A Birth Family Reunion at a Funeral

A Birth Family Reunion at a Funeral

It hadn’t really occurred to me that a funeral would bring about the chance to meet my biological aunts, uncles, cousins and grandfather for the first time...  Not only would I be mourning... I would be making a first impression on the rest of my birth mother’s family.  

Two Words That Changed Everything

Two Words That Changed Everything

I got out my laptop and sat on a barstool in my kitchen, browsing Facebook and practicing the best self-control I could.  I have a little brother.  I typed in his name and a profile appeared of a teenager from my hometown.  Not just from my hometown, but from my high school.  I clicked on his page, and my jaw dropped

The Introduction Part 3: Meeting My Biological Dad

The Introduction Part 3: Meeting My Biological Dad

My biological dad looked eerily similar to the way he looked in a dream I had as a child.  He was tall with whispy strawberry blonde hair.  His skin had a pink tint to it.  He wore dark wash jeans that fit him well, with a light blue button down shirt and flip-flops. 

6 Ways My Adoptive Parents Supported the Search for My Birth Parents

6 Ways My Adoptive Parents Supported the Search for My Birth Parents

The conversation with my adoptive parents about meeting my birth parents was not an easy one to have. It happened over a span of a lifetime, right up to the day of actually hugging my birth parents for the first time. It’s still a dialogue we keep up with, as they have now re-entered my life as real living beings, instead of this idea I had of who they could be. 

The Patriarchal Trifecta: A Tribute To My Fathers

The Patriarchal Trifecta: A Tribute To My Fathers

I’m the girl with three fathers.  This father’s day is a first, as I get to celebrate my dad, my biological father, and now my father-in-law.  I am blessed to be surrounded by men who set such a wonderful example of what it means to be selfless, what it means to be true to yourself, and what it means to follow Jesus.  This Father's Day, I have the privilege of honoring all three of these men who have loved me fiercely and taught me so much.

The Introduction: Part 2

The Introduction: Part 2

The woman who gave me life was finally in my childhood home, and I was at a loss of words and gutted of my tears.  Where do we even begin?  How do I try to recount the years of my life, and how do I respectfully ask the questions that haunted me so?  19 years of separation, basically a lifetime, stood between us and the foundation of our relationship.