And Then I Saw Her….

“I instinctually began as a wee life longing for the warmth and protection of my birth mother to survive. The umbilical cord was physically severed, but the esoteric spiritual connection that bound me to my birth mother was heightened by our unnatural separation.”

—Unknown

I clicked as I randomly do on Facebook looking for my biological brothers since losing contact with them a several years ago.  Yay!!! I found two of them.  I begin looking through their pictures seeing what their lives had evolved.  We all looked older for sure.  We had mostly more gray hair, added weight and children.  I begin looking for my only full biological brother throughout the pictures and friends lists.  I finally saw a picture of him and instantly felt my heart and stomach become full of emotion.  Oh my God Dana quit being so sappy! I hear very suddenly from very close to me.  I choked it back thinking…ok that was childish.  And then I saw her……

I saw pictures of my birth mom and I froze.  My heart seemed to just stop and for a moment nothing existed not even me.  I felt a wave of hot and cold go from head to toe.  I felt nausea and  a sudden dump of bubbling acid in my stomach.  And soon the mixture of emotions began to drip faster and faster out of my eyes until now there was a continual stream of tears that followed my jaw line down to my chin before quickly dripping into my lap.  I didn’t think I felt anything but someone did and it was incredibly painful.  The children that long for her also fear her.  The fear that again rejection and subsequent separation would be felt in its entirety.

The more I looked through the pictures the more I was getting a good look at myself only 16 years my senior.  I crumbled seeing parts of my identity by way of genetic code form a picture similar to myself.  I wanted to run to her.  I wanted to reach out and say, “Mom it’s me, Dana!  Meet my family.  Love me PLEASE!”  No sooner did the thought happen that another quickly followed, “Run she’s dangerous!! No I want to stay!  Don’t take me away! I want to stay!”  My heart breaks as the little baby who’s incessant crying ceases, if only for seconds, until the pain of the separation is felt once more at full force.

My chest instantly feels with pain and I fear that I might vomit.  My brain is on complete overdrive.  I begin to panic.  I needed to physically go.  I didn’t know where. I just had to go.  My back needing another surgery and in much pain made it impossible to get up and anywhere.  Internal conversations were not exactly conversations.  They were orders being barked in order to keep everyone safe.  WHAT THE HELL IS THIS???!!!!  GET THAT BABY AND RUN! LOCK THIS SHIT DOWN NOW! GET THOSE KIDS TO SAFETY!!! Even in her rage against us all her voice began to shake.

There they were almost on cue.  The faces, the voices, the monsters had come back to say, “I wouldn’t have kept you either!  No wonder she didn’t want you.  She knew you were crazy that’s why.  You’re trash and always will be.  Just think, Dana, she was the one that gave you away.“  Even the angry one was for once speechless.  Tears began to slowly fall from her angry and very deeply hurt eyes as well.

The confusion of how I think I must feel versus how I actually feel has become an all out war.  There are no answers only guilt and shame.  The fear I had been feeling about something bad going to happen was now in my face.  And like a wall of water I slowly begin to drown in my own red tears.  I begin fiercely dog paddling to stay afloat as I do most times.  But this pain is unlike any other.  This colicky adult child hungers and cries for the very thing that can soothe just out of reach.  As I dry tears that run red, I also witness those of a child who can’t be comforted.  And I’m quickly reminded…Remember the last time you cried about this you were made fun of and weren’t heard.  We all got hurt.  

“A baby is born with a need to be loved—and never outgrows it.”

—Unknown

#thispuzzledlife