What would you do if you thought you were an only child and then found out you had five siblings? That is the story of Bill McGlynn. He was placed for adoption as a baby by his teenage biological mother. His adopted parents passed away when Bill was a teenager.
Bill had never thought much about his biological family, but a name, Geraldine LaFaue, found in the family strong box invoked a curiosity. He started his search as a young adult–a search that would last four decades. He reviewed census records, obituaries, petitioned the court system for documents. At age 77, Bill finally found out his biological mother’s birth and married names. He then found her obituary that listed her five children, Bill’s biological siblings.
Bill was elated to discover that he had brothers and sisters. He sent a letter to one of his biological brothers who shared the information with the other siblings. They planned a reunion and all met together for the first time at their biological mother’s gravesite.
“It was an experience. It’s been wonderful. It’s been nothing that I could have imagined,” Bill states.
It was a wonderful recognition of and honor to their biological mother for all of them to get together at her gravesite. It validates the power of family and endurance. Bill had a hard time finding information about his biological family, but he did not give up. His reward: being united with his five siblings. It validates perseverance.
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