Sunday, December 15, 2019

Unexpected Gifts

I had a lovely phone conservation with an old old friend yesterday.  He said "I mailed all my Christmas Cards but I cannot remember if I sent one to you or not so I am calling you instead!"
He talked to Far Guy for a long time and then asked to talk to me.

He shared a bit of an old secret with me.  He has a son he never knew about.  He was contacted earlier this year and had a very nice reunion with his long lost son.  I was just thrilled for him.  He says his son calls him every week.  What a wonderful gift for a lonely old man. He said the visit was just perfect and that he cried like a baby when his son left.

Years ago his second wife asked me to find the children he had with his first wife...they wanted nothing to do with their Dad...she was so disappointed...she wanted that so desperately for her husband ...and then she died.

For the rest of the story.  My friend spent some time in prison because he shot at his first wife and another fellow during one of their rendezvous.    He served his time, his wife divorced him and took the two children; a boy and a girl and moved back near her home town.  Shortly after that my friend took up with some  gal...apparently they had a rendezvous of their own.  Her father found out about his prison time and grabbed him one night and told him to never come near his daughter again.  So he didn't.  Turns out that she was pregnant and her father gave the baby away for adoption in Iowa.

The baby was adopted and now is a grown man and he lives in Santa Rosa California, and  has a successful business there and calls his Dad weekly.  He has tried to contact his mother but she wants nothing to do with him.

I can only imagine the joy that this child brings to his father and my friends second wife would be just thrilled....it was what she wanted so desperately for him years ago.

I have many more questions...was he found through an Ancestry site...a DNA match to a close relative?  I watch that show Long Lost Family and enjoy how searches and reunions unfold.  However I was a good listener and didn't ask too many questions.

Far Side





30 comments:

Laurel Wood said...

What a tremendous blessing and answered prayer (by the wife who is now deceased) for your friend. Thank you for sharing this sweet story.
God bless you and FG. xoxo

Victoria Zigler said...

That's wonderful! I love hearing stories of people who find one another like this. It's a shame they didn't do so sooner, but still wonderful he has that now.

Val Ewing said...

Wow, that is quite the beautiful story!
Oh, I also have one of those night lights! Love how it bubbles!

Rita said...

That's wonderful that they found each other. I'd be curious, too, as to how he located his father. It does seem like an answered prayer from the second wife. :)

Anonymous said...

Our only chlld called yesterday contacted by two people who say they are related to my husbands brother who had to relinquich his 3 kids in 1979..He could not care for them he had a nervous breakdown and his ex-wife was batcrap crazy, they were adopted by one family..our only knew little of the whole situation...They did not tell her how they found his name and other relatives never asking about him at all..we did not call him or say one thing it has been 40 years and the kids are 45 and 43 and 41 all adults...I had a friend dear at that who found out she was adopted on graduation night from high school, she proceeded to contact her biological mother it was a disastrous meeting, the woman told her to never come back and bother her, I felt to badly for my friend..I moved to California the next day and my friend visited me and said she wished she never contacted that woman..Not all reunions are joyous I say let it be unless you need medical information only..My brother in law would have another nervous breakdown he has severe ptsd from Vietnam still and it would be cruel indeed...just saying!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Miss Merry said...

I love a happy ending! I bet that a certain angel in heaven helped facilitate this meeting.

Sara said...

This really warms my heart. I'm so happy he and his son could connect and reap the benefits of a relationship. I have an older half brother given up for adoption. I didn't know about him until I was mid 40s. I've done 2 different DNA tests, and done a LOT of research but have had no luck finding him. Of course I have no way of knowing if he even lived to adulthood, or is still living now. So I'm always thrilled when I hear of successful reunions.

Maebeme said...

It's wonderful that your friend and his son were reunited. Sadly there were a lot of babies that were adopted because young women were told they couldn't raise them on their own. I'm sure the man's mother had to compartmentalize her feelings and now cannot open up.

It is an interesting story too. When I had more channels I used to watch the Long Lost Family episodes as well.

Gemma's person said...

Great for your friend.

Terry and Linda said...

What a happy ending. I am so glad it all worked out.

NCmountainwoman said...

Nice to read such a warm story. I'm glad they found each other.

Linda Reeder said...

That's a great story. I am happy for the father and son who found each other and actually want to be part of each other's lives. I also wonder how they found each other. It seems with DNA testing becoming so common, people are finding lots of unknown siblings, fathers, mothers, and offspring. Not all are welcome news.

Araignee said...

What a story!! My dad-who also did jail time in his wild youth, always said he had twins in Indiana as a sort of family joke. Since his reform school and eventually his federal prison were in Indiana we've begun to think that maybe it's true? It should also be noted that he was in the boys school at the same time as Charles Manson. What a claim to fame....besides the fact that Dad was also a direct descendant of the first settler ever hung for treason in the new world. What a family. Our ancestors probably should have stayed where they were. Lol...

Susan Zarzycki said...

What a wonderful story, especially at this time of year! Thanks for sharing it with us.

Karen said...

I'm glad that story had a happy ending. It always makes me sad to hear of one that was not. I know of someone who found a son she had as a teenager, and was adopted, through Facebook.

DJan said...

Thank you for this uplifting story and the reunion of the father and son. And thank you for the lovely Christmas card. I think this is the first time I've ever received Far Guy's annual letter. I enjoyed it thoroughly! :-)

Red said...

Great Christmas story. Some lives are very different from the normal .

Bonnie said...

What a lovely story! I am happy for your friend and for his son.

Sam I Am...... said...

That is a wonderful story at Christmas time!

Granny Marigold said...

I love a story with a happy ending!!
Our oldest son is adopted but has no interest in finding his biological parents.
I thiuk of his mother every year on his birthday.

Betsy said...

What a story! Thank you for sharing it with us. I'm so glad the reunion was joyous and I pray it will continue to be so happy for both of them as they continue to get toknow each other.
Blessings,
Betsy

diane in northern wis said...

I absolutely love your story about the father and son reunion. How wonderful for both of them. Love your bubble light so much too. Peace and Blessings!

Debi said...

I love your friend's story and so glad that he had a happy ending. Last year my cousin was contacted by her half sister that she didn't know she had and it did not have a happy ending.

Jo-Anne's Ramblings said...

What a lovely story I have a cousin who is adopted but she has never had any interest in finding her biological parents.

L. D. said...

It is an unusual story. All the parties involved are not so cordial but the one son really is a wonderful nice guy. My dad's side of the family had an uncle that divorced and we really didn't keep in contact with them. Two of the sons visited my dad before he died. The one boy died a few years later from Vietnam poisons. The children and grandchildren show up in our area and people ask if I know them. Unfortunately I do not but I do know the name makes them related. My son met a girl in ISU band and they decided that their grandfathers were brothers.

The Wykeham Observer said...

I'm glad you were there to listen as a friend "and not ask too many questions," just there to hear the happy story. Maybe later he will share the rest.

Jacqi Stevens said...

What a wonderful story, Far Side! And yes, I'd have had questions like you did...but better to be the good listener. I'm sure that DNA testing played a role in connecting. Perhaps some time you will have the opportunity to hear more of your friend's story.

Karen said...

I have found siblings my father thought was dead, or didnt know about at all, when my cousin and I tested at Ancestry. My father grieved his baby sister until the day he died. All along she was alive and well in Texas. At least one other brother in Niagara Falls.

Henny Penny said...

What a story, and I love how it turned out! Makes me feel like crying.

Shirley said...

I watch that show too and my first thought was wondering if it was through it that his son found him.