Connecting with Extended Family and Forming Relationships
While the search was on, Alex continued to connect with more extended family members. Each new relationship opened their eyes and helped fill in the gaps of their biological family history. They learned about the struggles of their biological family and how those struggles and decisions led them to place Alex for adoption.
It was through these distant relatives that Alex would eventually make contact with their biological mother. The relationship began tentatively, with both sides apprehensive about what to expect. Alex was nervous about how the initial meeting would go down; would it be awkward? Would their biological mother want anything to do with them after all these years? Yet when Alex finally spoke with their biological mother all those fears melted away.
Their biological mother told the story of the adoption: a difficult phase of her life in which she felt she had no means to care for a child. The emotional burden of that decision stayed with her for decades. She was in tears as Alex told stories of their life, convinced that Alex had been brought up in a nurturing climate. The number of years apart seemed insignificant when they were finally given a chance to truly share experiences and begin to understand each other’s side.
