An Adoptee’s Experience: Family, Fortitude & Forgiveness: A story of searching for identity and belonging

At 43 years old through an ancestry search I found more than my DNA. I found family and that freedom-type of forgiveness that usually only comes from what feels like an impossible combination of acceptance, release and grace. Just like the scattered pieces of a mosaic, I received broken and incomplete pieces of information throughout my life whenever I asked about my ethnicity and the circumstances of my birth that led to my adoption. I can’t recall a time when I was not searching, longing, for something that was missing. What I was searching for could shift from mundane to large and lofty – it wasn’t always clear. As a young adult, I searched for a good time. As a wife, I searched for passion and security, and as a mom, I wanted stability and support. I couldn't get settled. I was happy, adjusted, successful personally and professionally, yet I was never satisfied.