Now a mother myself, having experienced the profound journey of pregnancy and childbirth, I often think about the emotions that must have swirled within my birth mother during her pregnancy. Similarly, not having a birth name or a birth family name has been a reminder of my precarious place in the world. And so, I made peace with a hard truth: The names and faces of my birth family would remain a mystery. Over the years, I had constructed a story of my birth mother, one that was admittedly grim. I’ve learned that my birth story isn’t just about an unknown date or a missing name ― it’s a tribute to my birth family, an acknowledgment of their role in my life’s tale.

Source: Huffington Post November 16, 2023 17:29 UTC