Thursday, January 26, 2012

Bloodlines

This story can be rightfuly categorized in the "No Way" box. That I am adopted may be of public information. What may not be familiar to most is the long-term process I have experienced in an effort to establish some sort of connection with my bloodline. The initial search began back in the early 90's and it basically ended in failure.
Up until that time I had never considered the aspect of rejection, but once the mediator made the limited 3 attempts at opening the door, I felt the fullness of the word under such contexts. Not only did my birth mother not answer or acknowledge the certified letters, but she would not speak to my mediator either. That was during a time when that 'rejection' word was being felt quite heavily as I was going through a domestic struggle that would not cease.
I let the matter drop. A decade passed, then another. Once again I found myself revisiting similar thoughts and desires, only this time I seem to have this drive that lends more to health and well-being as my age topped the over-40 generation. The difference in the intervening years: The age of technology has come full circle and I have access to more databases than I had even hoped. I have discovered more information than I can ask or think. It wasnt until 23Jan12, just a couple days ago, that I realized the proximity within which I had come in finding out my bloodlines.
I know my mom's name. I know the name of the man she married two years after I was born. I know her relatives, and thanks to the almighty Facebook, I have seen pictures. I also know the street address where she lived when she married, since I have the marriage certificate/application from the state of Texas....and this is where it gets really amazing.
The property records of her address way back in 1969 indicate the prperty never left her maiden name's family. To sum it up: my mom's parents and my grandparents lived in that residence up until thier death. Who owns it now, I'm not sure. But I do know this: When I deployed in 2007, I deployed from Biggs Army Airfield in El Paso, Texas and both were still alive. The area from which we departed was a building offsite from the ain terminal at one end of the tarmac. Near the fence that marks the border of the post. And as it turns out, the house in which my grandparents lived, the same house in which my mom lived when she most likely was carrying me, was no less than a few hundred meter from the building I deployed from, just on the other side of the fence.
Another interesting note: my grandmother served at a Prebsterian Church in El Paso in which she was memorialized. The service was publicized and included a picture of her. The resemblance is striking, especially in the nose.
What's more, while I was in my mobility phase at Ft. Bliss in El Paso, I visited Beaumont Army Medical Center a few times. The address listed on the marriage cert for the man my mom married was only a couple blocks away from the Med Center, and which I might have passed by on more than one occassion.
I do not know if that man is my father, so I have not indicated as such. Reasonable certainty would say he is, but until I know for sure, I cannot claim. I do know that he lives in Las Cruces, NM now.
As for my mom? The mobile home she was living in until Augustof last year burned down. I saw photos of the ruined framework and the fire investogator's report. I also was able to secure her current address and phone number. The question I face now: With all this effort at making contact, do I still go through with it? The chance for rejection remains strong, but as she turns 66 this year, I should think that I don't want to miss this opportunity.

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