Reunion with my son has radically changed my views on family, and how important it is. When I relinquished my son so many years ago, I did not understand how significant blood ties really are. I was not a teen when he was born; I turned 22 years old the day after he was born.

Nevertheless, I did not comprehend how deeply and how long-lasting the effects of losing my son would be. In effect, it took reunion to awaken me to what relinquishing a child to adoption really means.

Except for a brief time shortly after this birth, I had not allowed myself to feel his loss until he was back in my life. Then, I knew suddenly and brutally knew much how much he mattered, and how wrong I was to have let him go. I thought that he'd never miss me or want to know about me. Plus, I believed that since I did not really know him, losing him would not be a significant life-long experience for me.

Family was important; I always knew that. My parents taught me that fact. They were simple, honest and decent folks, my parents, and above all they always cherished family relations. All our family vacations when I was a child growing up with my older brother and sister were long car trips to visit relatives who lived several states away.

No trips to Mexico, Europe, or Disneyland for us. All our vacations meant visiting family. Both my maternal and paternal grandparents lived in the same state. Therefore, once we arrived at our destination, we alternated visiting grandparents. Many other relatives lived nearby as well. Throughout my childhood, the pattern remained the same. Family vacations always meant long car trips to visit relatives in a distant state. The message that gave me was that family was very significant.


To Be Continued.......................................