Looking Back at a Journey of Reconnection
From then onward, as years passed, and Alex’s relationships with both his families flourished, they often resurfaced in conversations the journey of reconnection. What started out as the quest for answers had burgeoned into a lifelong journey of self-discovery. The roller coaster ride of emotions had built Alex into a more understanding and compassionate individual—a person who learned that relationships with humans are complicated and that human spirit can be resilient.
Alex realized that the journey was not only about finding biological parents but also about learning to embrace all parts of her identity. Their experience showed that we don’t have to choose between the families who raise us and the families who share our blood. Both are what shape who we are. The love that Alex received from both families served as the foundation of their meaning for family: dynamic and multifaceted. They learned to appreciate the love, support, and sacrifices both sets of parents made knowing each family contributed something different to their growth.
Alex also came to appreciate emotional courage as well in both biological and adoptive parents for the hard choices they had to make. Their biological parents had given Alex up out of love and necessity, and his adoptive parents had taken him into their lives with open arms and armed him with the tools to navigate the challenges of life. It was both sides who had helped shape the man Alex was today, and it was both sides who taught him lessons that no one else could about love, forgiveness, and the strength it takes to create a family.
