Lucky Me!

I can't imagine what it must have been like to be a pregnant, single woman in Norfolk, Virginia in the late 1050's and early 1960's. The woman who gave birth to me had two children she gave up for adoption: the first was a boy, born Feb. 2, 1960, the second was a girl, born Dec. 30, 1962. Imagine. Seven days BEFORE Valentine's Day and then five days AFTER Christmas. Stressful, sad, too many emotions to fathom, I'm sure. So, thank you. Thank you for having the courage to give birth to us. Thank you for having the courage to give us up. I hope your life has not been filled with regret. My brother and I were raised together and we were told as toddlers that we were adopted, we were chosen for our parents who couldn't have children of their own. When we asked what happen to our own mother, our mother would say, "I don't know, but she must have been very brave and loving to be able to give you up. I am grateful to her." And so am I. Thank you. I feel very lucky to have had two great mothers, one who made the ultimate sacrifice and the other who raised me to value that sacrifice.