Korean Roots

I received a very articulate letter from a Korean cousin several weeks ago and just today got the translated letter. I could not believe what it feels like to be connected with biological family, even though I've never grown up with them.

I received the pictures from her too, and shared those with some of our friends and family.

I didn't think about what it would have been like for our relatives when we were given up for adoption. Now that we've made a connection, it has opened my eyes to the whole situation in a new light. It's possible that our relatives may have taken us in. From the letter, it's clear that there were some strong feelings about us being given up for adoption.

"Your oldest paternal uncle and his wife were very emotionally hurt and in a lot of pain by that (our being placed for adoption). Every time there is a program on television of the adopted person returning to Korea to look for their birth families, they [uncle and aunt] watch the show eagerly and think maybe something will come, but they have not seen any of your faces. We are so happy to know that you are all healthy and living well. Your uncle and aunt [my parents] feel very sorry to you that you were placed for adoption. However, all of our family members feel that this was very fortunate and they are happy that you are doing well there."

It seems everything in our life at the moment is changing. We are moving to a new community and embarking on new adventures. Yet, there are things like this letter that remind me of where I've come from and there is something reassuring about that.

For those of you who don't know my story, my dad died when I was eight and my brother, sister and I were given up for adoption.