Dear Kate - A Letter from My Birthmother
Updated: Jun 10
After I mailed the letter I'd written to my birthmother, Irene, on the 15th of January, 1999, I waited. I pictured the letter on its journey in the mail truck, headed to Vermont from Rockport, MA, where I lived at the time. Once it got to The Lund Home in Burlington, VT, it would be put into a new envelope with no identifiable markings on it, and fowarded to Irene who lived somewhere in Pennsylvania. I counted the days, the minutes, trying to calculate when, and if, I'd get a return letter. If Irene did decide to mail me a letter, the process would reversed. Two weeks at a minimum I guessed.
My calculations were just about right. I'm not sure exactly what day the postal person delivered Irene's letter to my mailbox, via The Lund Home, but her letter is dated January 26th, 1999. I was in tears....finally, after so many years, I had in my hands a letter that Irene had written. She'd touched the stationery and the words flowed from a pen that she was holding. I could hardly believe it.
My letter to her had made the difference that I hoped.
"Dear Kate - For almost two weeks I have been writing and rewriting a letter to you - but nothing came out right. On Saturday, I received a beautiful letter from you and now everything seems easier."
Is a new chapter in my life beginning?
See her full letter below.
Her letter moves me to tears. I can only imagine its impact on you. Beautiful, Kate.
Oh my!!!
First of all, so much to take in for a first letter! Yes, the Brown genes are strong! To see how your half sisters have so many of the same interests as you!!
Secondly, Irene's handwriting is so very like my fathers it made me gasp (he was one of the early deaths, he passed away at age 62 from a stroke...heart disease doesn't seem to run in the family but diabetes does indeed ,
both of my siblings suffered from it)
I'm so looking forward to the meeting of the families! Thank you so much for sharing this story!
Teresa