I dedicate this post with the extreme love and affection to my wife Monika who had a very vivid dream on December 21st that she had written a letter to my birth mother.
She woke up that morning and started typing away and she looked a little starry eyed and quite quiet, which is unusual and I asked her if she was, ok. She said she had a dream and needed to finish her thoughts as she did not want to forget. I said cool and I switched the TV to sports channel.
If you haven't read this letter please stop and follow the link "a letter to my husband's birth mother...wherever you are".
As a little boy I always knew I had been adopted. My parents Joseph J. and Pauline A. McGillicuddy never hid the fact that I was chosen and picked out specially to be their child from an orphanage full of little children. My dad was unable to have children and my mom always wanted a family. My dad was in the service and stationed in Germany and that is when they traveled to Bamberg in Germany to try and adopt a child.
I was born on June 3, 1954 and adopted by my parents on September 22, 1955. I don't quite know how long I spent in that orphanage but I have a feeling I will find out.
I always believed that my birth mother could not take care of me and had to give me up so I could have a better life. I found out today that I was correct. I also found out that I have a brother named Alexander and a sister named Anita. The sad part is that my birth mother Klara, Alexander and Anita do not speak English and I do not speak German.
I always wondered if I might have had a brother or a sister, but of course, I never knew.
What was shocking was that I am the little brother, the youngest child. That really struck me with a thud. Monika and I thought so because when we spoke to Klara yesterday morning she mentioned Alexander's age and Monika was puzzled as it sounded like she said he was 58. later in the day I confirmed that with Klara and she said his birthday is December 17. When she mentioned that Anita was born on January 2nd 1953 a more sinking feeling came over me as I now knew I was the youngest. A million thoughts and questions went racing through my head.
She had shared with us that Alexander was raised by her parents and Anita too was given up for adoption as well. She said life was extremely tough and she could not raise us in one room where she had lived. It was just too tough. When I heard all this, I had mixed emotions a short burst of anger and resentment and the more I thought about this and spoke with Monika's parents I had to imagine what life must have been like after living through WWII. Klara is a couple of years older than Monika's parents and the stories they tell of living in Germany during these times was by no means easy.
Klara has 10 siblings and she is the oldest and will turn 82 on February 1, 2008. She said she is healthy but her eye sight is not that good. I have worn glasses since grade school and have always been relatively healthy.
Klara says Alexander worked in a sugar factory outside of Bamberg and he is now out of work. Monika and I will call him today so I can hear his voice and ask more questions.
I have a strong desire to get to know Anita, I think because she is closer to me in age and she too was given up for adoption. I also know she tried for the longest time to find me and kept coming up against closed doors. I wonder if we might have been in the same orphanage at the same time.
What's awkward for me is the realization that I had the key to my past for years and although I have tried to search for my roots at times...I have to wonder if I had tried harder, could I have found them sooner.
God works his way for us and allows us to do things we do in our own way. We do things for a reason whether they are right or wrong. I am a firm believer in fate and if you like, here is an example of a post I wrote, is it fate.
UPDATE AS OF 12:57 PM EST
I literally just got off the phone with Alexander and it was AWESOME to hear his voice and to have a conversation with him. I enjoyed it when he would say my name Holger during our conversation. It sounded so natural like he has known me all along.
He told us Anita knows and is very happy too. She will be getting a phone soon.
The real good news is that Alexander's son has email and hopefully we soon will be able to communicate and share photos online and learn to become friends. Alexander was 18 when Anita found them and she was 15.
I missed so many years but I can now look forward to a new chapter in my life by expanding it to include my new found family.
I can't wait to talk with Anita some time soon.
I am going to have to learn German real quick.
*** UPDATE ***
***Update ***
1-10-08
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