The Story of a Lifetime

It is time.

Thanks to all of you who have recently checked on my well-being, since my last posting in which I hinted at some big amazing news and then dropped off the face of the earth.

So now I've had time to process, rejoice, and reconnect my brain cells, (and catch up on several projects which I completely abandoned in the process) and I'm ready to share.

Here's the deal.

Three weeks ago tomorrow, I got a registered, certified, restricted delivery letter that I had to go pick up at the post office. It was just another Saturday and we were running errands before heading home to family dinner and movie night. The letter the clerk handed me was a plain white envelope with my name and address typed on it. The return address meant nothing to me, but the name on the return label niggled at the deep recesses of my mind as I opened the envelope. Here's the text of the letter:


Dear Kristen:

Thank you for taking a moment to read this note

I am trying to contact Kristen Paige Voss regarding a personal family matter. If you are Kristen, born March 10, 1968 in Los Angeles, California, I would appreciate hearing from you at your earliest convenience.

I can be reached at *** (phone, cell, email followed)

I very much look forward to hearing from you.

Very sincerely,

Marianne Merrill


And then something spoke to my heart and I knew exactly why that name was so familiar. It wasn't the one my mother had spoken of so many years ago, but it was close enough.

Did I mention I'm adopted?

I emailed the sender, telling her that I was indeed the person she was looking for and asking for more information about who she was. Although I thought I already knew.

And two days later, I learned I was right. I received the most beautiful email explaining to me who she was and telling me that she just needed to know I was okay.

My birth mother had found me.

It didn't take long until I was on the phone. I had to call her...a conversation needed to happen. Simply emailing back was not enough. I had questions and things to say, and I needed to talk to her in person. With David at my side, I took a deep breath and dialed the home number she'd listed in her letter.

I can't describe the myriad of emotions that ran through my soul as I was able to tell her in person...thank you. Thank you for making the choices so many years ago that allowed me to be born and raised in the Voss family. Thank you for loving me so much that you knew I needed to take a different journey in my life.

As I've gotten to know her a little more over the last three weeks, I know for sure that she would have taken great care of me. I know I would have been surrounded by a vital, loving family. But I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that she made the right decision to place me in another family.

My parents are ecstatic. They've been able to tell her thank you themselves. My mom emailed her my whole life history and lots and lots of photos. I'm so grateful for their support and the way they raised me, with such love and respect for her and her choices.

So that's my story. There's lots more layers to it, but this gives you an idea of what I've been up to for the last couple of weeks. My family tree has another branch to it. Somewhere in the world, there are actually people who look like me.

Today Marianne celebrates her 60th birthday. Join me in wishing her well on this momentous occasion by posting a comment on this blog--she told me earlier today that I've made her a blogger since she's started checking up on me here, so I know she'll read this!

And let me say it again, but in front of friends and family--I'll shout it to the world!

Marianne, I've thanked God all my life for you. And I'm so eternally grateful that now I've been able to thank you in person. You have blessed my life in so many ways. You're an angel in my eyes.

Happy birthday, Marianne! Know that you are loved!