See, my daddy died when I was only four. He'd been married before and was significantly older than my mother, so he had two sons from his first marriage that were almost my mom's age. I haven't seen or heard from either one of them since he passed away, and much as we've tried to find them over the years, they've just seemed to disappear - until today.
Today we found one.
My brother, Sean, is going to try and contact him. We're both a little nervous as we don't know what kind of reception we'll get, but there is no doubting he's my brother. He's the spitting image of my father, if a little thinner. He's got the Gillespie ears, forehead, and nose, not to mention the mustache and snow white hair. Yeah, I did say my daddy was a lot older than my mom, didn't I? He was 18 years older than she was, so that makes my newly found half-brother around 70. I know, we're kind of crazy that way. You should see the looks I get when I tell people my oldest brother is only four years younger than my mother! I used to tell people just to see their reaction.
So, if I can get this to work right, here are their pictures to compare. The first is my daddy, the second, the man we think is my brother:
Is it just me? Or do they look alike? It's strange seeing a man I barely remember and realizing he is most likely my brother. It's a strange mix of happy and sad and longing for what could have been. It's made me very thoughtful today about the past, full of memories and ghosts of the path my life has taken. It's been a nice day that way.
Here's hoping we get a positive response!
Quote of the Day: "Good writing is supposed to evoke sensation in the reader. Not the fact that it is raining, but the feeling of being rained upon." -- E.L. Doctorow
5 comments:
Good luck Karen. My hubby met his sister for the first time a few months before we were married. She is so great and it was such a fantastic experience. We've been in touch ever since.
I hope it works out well!
Good luck with contacting him! What an amazing thing.
Thanks, Shanna and Gaynell. It's pretty cool. Thanks for the well wishes.
Yes, good luck. We got a phone call last fall from a woman who is my husband's child from his first marriage. We knew he'd been married before but knew nothing about a child. He'd always claimed he had no other children.
She sent photos of her with him and it's pretty certain she's telling the truth. She's a very nice woman, but it was sort of mind-blowing to get that phone call.
My husband and I are taking a road trip from KY back to UT next month and we're zipping up to IL to meet her in person.
Family can be funny, huh?
wow karen! that is so cool!!!
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