As I sit in the library preparing for my final exams, all I can think about is that in 3 weeks I will be on a plane on my way to London. This semester I have shared my dad’s wonderful story with you all and his joyful reunion with family. However, I have yet to meet everyone. As anxious as I am to meet my ‘new’ extended family, I am also incredibly nervous. It’s a strange idea for me to wrap my head around. I have always been close with my moms ‘side of the family’, every holiday and birthday with grandma, grandpa, aunts, uncles and cousins. So now, two decades into my life, I’m about to meet another set of grandma, aunts, uncles and cousins. Pretty intense, huh?
This is not the first time I have thought about this. When my dad first contacted his birth mother, it was about 10 years ago. So for years I have hoped and dreamed that one day I would be able to meet my UK family. However, last March, when this dream became more of a reality, my nerves began to set in. My brain started to flood with fears of what they might think of me, and questions of what they would be like.
When it comes down to it, whether I have known these people my whole life or not, they are still family. They are not only family, but they are a group of people who so instantly and graciously welcomed my dad into their lives. So, instead of getting caught up in my own anxieties, for the next 3 weeks, as I count down the days, I will think about how amazing it is that two decades into my life I will finally be meeting ‘dad’s side of the family’.
