Father's day is Sunday and it is always a special day to me. My dad and I are very close. He can make me laugh faster than anyone. He loves to be silly around me and calls me his sunshine. It doesn't matter how old I get....I will always be a daddy's girl. This Father's day is a little different because my Mom is on my mind this weekend. We have had a lot of changes recently....a lot of excitement, I guess.
Last October, my mom received a phone call that forever changed our family. It was a call from a lady looking for my aunt, but it started a chain of events that affected Mom dramatically. She made a decision to tell a secret she had kept for 46 years. When Mom was 18 and just out of high school, she was raped. I won't go into details, but she ended up pregnant in a time when it was not accepted the way it is now. In fact, her parents didn't even accept it. They hid her from everyone, family included, and even went as far as to tell her that if anyone found out she wouldn't be loved by anyone. So, she kept this secret from everyone. The only time it was ever mentioned by my grandfather was on Mom and Dad's wedding day when he reminded Mom not to mention it or Daddy would never forgive her.
So all these years, Mom has lived with this secret thinking that no one could know. Then a phone call comes. A lady that reunites adopted kids with birth parents. Mom ended up telling her the story and the lady said that she could help her if she wanted. Mom made the hard decision to tell her story. She told Dad first, then David and me. We all told her we would support her decision, no matter what it was.
It took her some time, but she decided to look for the baby that she was forced to give up 46 years ago. Two weeks before our planned California vacation, a call came that Mom had had a girl and that they had found her.......in California! Most importantly, she wanted to talk to Mom. Dad called and I ran over to their house and we waited for the phone to ring. Finally it did and Mom and Diane had their first conversation. It was so funny to listen to them talk. It was non-stop for a long time. Mom mentioned that my family was going to Cali and Diane said we should meet up. Mom and Dad decided to meet us out there and we met. It was an exciting and nerve-wracking time, but we made it through it and came out of it with a budding friendship. We met Diane, her husband, Fernando, her son, Marcus, and her Mom, Shirley. It was a great visit.
Now, why do I tell this story on Father's day? When my mom told my dad about this secret that she had kept for their 44 year marriage, his response, "I wish I would have known you then, so I could have taken care of you." And, "I wish your father was still alive, so I could tell him how wrong he was." That is the kind of man my father is. That is why I love him so much!
I am the most blessed woman. I have the strongest example of what a marriage should be, forgiveness, unconditional love and understanding. I love you Mom and Daddy, unconditionally and forever.
Diane, Mom, Savannah and Me.
