August 20, 2007 I receive a message in my facebook inbox saying the following
" Hi there my names ABC, I'm looking for a cousin named XYZ born month, day, year. If this is you could you let me know thanks"
Over the next few hours we establish that I am in fact who she is looking for and that she is my dads cousin. I learn where my dad is and that he has a stepdaughter and two of his own. I also learn about my heritage, apparently there's some Irish in me from my grandmothers side, and my grandfather is six nations.
August 21, 2007 the next cousin makes contact. This one is the daughter of my dads sister. Our conversation lasts for the next five days and she basically tells me anything and everything I could ever want and not want to know about my family.
August 22, 2007 my fathers wife contacts me. I learn more about my sisters and father and we begin a back and forth get to know you conversation that has been ongoing since.
At some point in the next month or so I meet my grandparents via webcam, then my youngest sister (aug 31), then my father, stepmother, other sister and step sister next. I never expected the emotions I would feel seeing these people for the first time on my computer. I think the most emotional was the "meeting" with my grandparents. My Nanny has since passed, I got to meet her once in person. RIP.
May 31, 2008 Hubby and I drive to the Toronto Zoo to meet some of my family for the first time. It is only 2 days after my 24th birthday that I meet my birth father for the first time ever. Along with him was my stepsister, cousin 1(the second one to contact me) and her husband and two kids, cousin 1's mother my aunt, and cousin 2(cousin 1's sister).
October 2008 I met my two half sisters for the first time. I should know the date but it's not coming to me at the moment. Wait correction we arrived to cousin 2s house on Halloween and met my two half sisters for the first time the following day on November 1, 2008.
The rest is all history. I try to keep in touch as much as I can, I really hate that I can't be a bigger part of my sisters lives. I miss them constantly and yet I barely know them. I hope that as they grow up they realize how important they are to me, the truth is I don't know if I would have kept in touch with my family if it wasn't for them. If only they lived closer (it's a 5-6hr drive).
I always wondered who my father was, not because I wanted a "daddy", well maybe when I was younger that was it, but as I grew older all I really wanted was to fill the gap. When I say the gap I mean I really felt like there was a gap inside me. I only knew half of who I was, and I always wondered about the things I didn't know. When I made contact with my family I felt that gap close. I could have walked away after all the information they gave me and felt fine; But with two sisters under the age of 10 knowing I knew about them, I couldn't just walk away. They apparently grew up knowing I existed, the whole family did. Cousin 2 told me that one the wall in our nanny's house all the grandchildrens pictures were hanging in order of age. I apparently was in my proper position right before hers, but my picture never changed (my mom had contact with one of my aunts briefly after my birth and sent a few pictures, the one on the wall was from when I was two years old) I wonder how weird that must have been? Anyways these little girls have known about me their whole lives I cant let them down.
My dad and family came to my wedding (the ones I've met) and I have the pictures to look at to prove it :)I was successful in getting a picture of me, my mom, and my dad. Of all the pictures taken of the night that one is one of the most special. Who woulda thought that would ever happen? I also have pictures of me dancing with one of my sisters and others that are amazing memories. I was truly happy that they agreed to come since it was only the 5th time we'd met (4th for my sisters). I remember thinking that night to myself that "my father and mother are under the same roof, all of my siblings are here together, this is never going to happen again in my life!)
Hopefully there will be many more visits, the girls are getting older now, one of them turns 13 tomorrow :). When they are old enough I would like for them to be able to visit on their own. I guess we will have to see what happens.
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