Adopted And Searching

Send us Fan MailA three by five card was all my parents got when they adopted me: teenage mother, premature baby, three and a half pounds, and almost nothing else. I grew up loved, but I also grew up with a quiet, constant message ringing in my head: you’re different. That one word can shape how you attach to people, how you handle conflict, and how hard you chase belonging, even when you can’t explain why.I walk you through my adoption story from Utah, including the LDS faith lens my family used to frame my place in the world. I share what it was like to have my origin story retold at family events, how frequent moves and early trauma affected my choices, and why my teen years spun into trouble, school changes, and searching for acceptance in all the wrong places. Then I talk about the shift that came with the U.S. Navy: structure, standards, and a sense of being chosen for something bigger, plus the life-changing stability of meeting my wife and becoming a dad.The turning point lands in June 2014. I’m in Virginia, I’m up late, and I run a search I’ve run countless times before, except this time it works. I find a post on an adoption reunion board written by my biological mother on my 18th birthday, and she’s been looking for me for years. One email leads to a call, the timing collides with the birth of my second son, and a DNA test result hits my inbox like final confirmation. We talk nature vs nurture, identity, genealogy, adoption reunification, and what it takes to reconnect without blowing up the life you’ve built.If you’ve ever wondered where you came from, or what belonging really means, hit play. Subscribe, share this with someone who needs it, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway.https://www.wordsfromthewise.net/