Hubby was so excited to find his real family. Finally, the hole in his heart would start to mend.

He was nervous about calling his mommy, mainly because of the things he had heard (totally wrong) growing up as to why everything happened the way it did. First off, his mom had her first child at age 14.

She was 23 years old with 8 children. Yup... you do the math.

Anyhow, she was in an abusive marriage, got divorced, remarried, he died, got remarried, he was super duper bad and she just couldn't handle everything. She had a nervous breakdown and was admitted to a mental hospital. The kids were placed anywhere and everywhere. My hubby remembers mostly his little sister, Cheryl. He cried and cried the day they were taken from each other. The whole story is gut wrenching, really.
So... he gathers the nerves to call his mom. She is over the moon to hear from him. She expected a very bitter and angry man on the other end of the phone. Not my hubby at all.

She explained to him the entire story and that there hasn't been a day in her life that she had never thought of him or regretted everything that happened. She would tell him stories that he would recall and some that he didn't. The little stinker and his sister actually stole a christmas tree from somebody's front lawn at 6 years old and drug it home! I still smile at the image.

So sweet and innocent. They talked for over two hours. They talked about his siblings, crazy people, half siblings, crazy people, aunts, uncles, crazy people, divorces, crazy people, jobs... everything!
They were dirt poor. She can remember one winter night being pregnant and lying on the wooden floor of the house trying to sleep, and she could see snow through the cracks of the floor. I cannot imagine the struggles she had. She was only a baby herself.

She was asking him what he looked like, talked like, smelled like, everything. She wanted to know every single detail about him. Her last image of him was a quiet, little white haired boy who always had a smile on his face. His hair was so blond, it was white. The pictures of him are absolutely adorable.

They discussed a plan to meet with each other and actually came up with a family reunion type thing for her birthday in the summer. There would be many many more phone calls and letters to come...as the conversation ended, she whispered, "I love you, my sweet baby boy." OMG... can you say puddle?

I can still hear her words to this day.
Next, sister number one....to be continued...