I couldn’t express at the time the trepidation I felt at meeting the one we now refer to as the Prodigal Daughter.

Given up at birth by her mother and ever since a memory held close within the bond between mother and husband.

The daughter’s mother came from a small town and upon hearing of her pregnancy whisked her away so as not bring shame on their family name. The daughter disappeared, and the community believed she was away at University.

Upon the child’s birth, the small infant girl was given up for adoption. There was no other alternative. So began a long thirty or so years before a resolution was reached and reunion occurred.

I was not the father of the child, but I was privy to the emotional heartbreak that occurred with her mother.

My reunion with her took place at my eldest son’s wedding. My marriage had ended some years before that day, but I had been over joyed at the response of my own children to the discovery and appearance of this daughter.

She had a resemblance to her mother and my youngest daughter. I was so very pleased to hear she had had a good life. Her adoptive parents were her mum and dad, as they should have been and she was pleased she had been given opportunity in life.

We were able to chat for some time and for me to feel good about meeting her and knowing she was ok and felt welcomed into my family.

For her birth mother, it was the end of a long period of wonder and grief at having given her daughter up. It did have an effect on her in terms of her connection with the children we later had.

The reunion has been constant over the years since, the daughter has visited several times, even come to my place once with her own three daughters.

I often wonder how hard it must have been for her to take that step to reach out to her birth mother when in reality her own life was good, and she had grown up in a loving environment. There must have been that thought of what am I letting myself in for by doing this?

My own children have embraced her, a step-sister and an older one was something my eldest daughter has loved, someone she can look up too.

In this case, the reunion was a good one. Pleasing in so many ways.

Written for: https://mindlovemiserysmenagerie.wordpress.com/2019/06/06/tale-weaver-226-reunion-june-6th/