Dear Darlings,

Weeks back, I shared the story of my biological half-sister reaching out to let me know that Denise, our biological mother, had passed away. I returned her email quickly and then second-guessed myself for responding so fast, wondering through my blog if I wanted to really respond at all. I do my best thinking while my fingers are flying across the keyboard. The rhythmic staccato sounds of the keys clacking somehow is a soothing balm to my psyche. Writing the blog post about my interaction with her helped to clear my head, and ease my mind.

It’s been almost a month since I read and and responded to her email. She and I have exchanged a dozen or so emails between the two of us. And I have to say, it’s a little fun getting to know someone who is related by blood to me, other than my kiddos. I’ve always wondered about nature versus nurture in terms of how I turned out. My dad and I had similar personalities, and senses of humor, but was it nurture, or was it partly nature and it just happened that way?

From what I’m seeing, there seem to be similarities between us. Every time I get a new email from her, Stan marvels at how she writes. He says it’s similar to how I write, and he’s blown away by the content of our letters. They’re like letters of a different era, he says. I might share them in the future, but for now, they are mine to read and re-read and turn over in my mind.

I just thought you all might like an update for now. Getting to know her through letters, rather than phone calls and FaceTime is giving me a solid foundation, and I’m cautiously optimistic.

xo,

me