Robyn, reunited:
adoption, family, and learning how to fly
God has put you in this unique situation because, believe it or not, you can handle it. Without a doubt, it will be trying, but you will learn so much about yourself. Whether or not you choose to reunite with your biological family, the process of processing it will grow you and mold you in ways you never realized you could. Take heart, dear adoptee. You are not alone.
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 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.
If you think you know what a bear hug feels like, you don’t. All the time I had spent wondering if we were supposed to shake hands or just go in for the hug became pointless as soon as she walked through the door. Instead of thought, something very close to instinct took over. I clutched onto her like she would disappear if I let go.
As you might have noticed, I’ve been asked a lot of questions about my experience with adoption. It seems that this blog has become an outlet for answering those questions after years and years of thought. I think one question I was asked that is probably the most important to answer is: “Why did they just give you away?”
I went home and complained to my parents about how the other kids thought I was homeless, and I didn’t know how to answer them with kindness because the only thing I felt was anger. I thought they were ignorant and rude. It took me some time, and by time I mean years, but now I actually applaud the ones that asked the silly questions. I realize now that these were the kids trying to find common ground.
My beautiful family was created through adoption - my older brother was adopted from South Korea, and I was adopted right here in the state of Arkansas. We have both learned about true love through our adoption stories, even though they are quite different. Without God's grace, I wouldn't be here to tell my story of how it all came full circle to reuniting with my biological family, almost 20 years later.
