An Open Letter To My Daughter & Her Parents, Celebrating Her Birthday

My daughter was born on January 30, 1991. Before she was born, I made the heart wrenching decision to give her up for adoption, so the moment of her birth was also the moment I lost her.

As life would prove in 2017, miracles really do happen sometimes, because this was the year my daughter finally found me. Her parents had raised her with the knowledge that she was adopted, and always supported her finding me if and when she wanted to. She also wanted to know me, but until recently, finding her birth family seemed legally impossible and financially challenging.

As luck would have it, when one of her friends found out she was born in Alabama, they told her that state had enacted a law a few years ago that allowed adopted children to have their records unsealed, and she was able to get her original birth certificate and adoption papers with minimal cost and a day trip to Montgomery. She found me on Facebook that very evening, and messaged me.

Since then, I have been blessed to be able to chat with her every day, and to meet her and her family several times. I’ve been able to learn about the beautiful person she is, and share some of her sorrows. On top of that, I got to meet her parents, who I have always considered my angels and wanted to meet since she was born. Oh, and did I mention I got to meet my grandsons and have gotten to know her partners a bit?

Although we won’t be in the same physical location for her actual birthday, this is still the first of her birthdays I get to spend with her, even if it is long distance. And the icing on the metaphorical cake? I will be able to go to her birthday party for the first time ever in a couple of weeks, where I will meet more of her family.

Since she was born and I learned she was a girl, I’ve longed to buy dresses for my daughter and have finally been able to do that this past Christmas and for her birthday this year. I’ve been able to give her cards that hopefully give her sone idea of how much she has always meant to me.

Normally at this time of year, I am fighting depression because I miss her more than ever at her birthday. In the past, I would plan things to do and people to be with that would help me during this time. Instead of that, this year I was able to pick out cards and gifts while bubbling over with joy and excitement.
As they say, my cup truly does runneth over.