She gazed out the window blankly, her eyes vacantly staring at a distant past. Placing her right palm against her furrowed forehead, she began to recall the sad memories of so long ago.

Remembering her aching back, strained from the weight of a protruding belly, her eyes squinted as though she could still feel the pain.

But the birth went quickly. With grunts and gasps and an occasional wail, the baby was pushed out, cleaned up, and whisked away. Never to be seen again.

Thirty long years had passed since that teenage experience, and the warmth of tears streaming down her agonized face was still a part of her life, even until today.

But today, things were about to change. DNA results from a genealogical site online may have brought her long-lost child once again into her life. A son, he had said in an unexpected and surprising email. Now they were finally going to meet face to face for the very first time. A door opened, and in stepped a tall handsome dark-haired fellow.

The resemblance was undeniable. They stood, frozen in the moment. So many questions lay just below the surface. He wondering why he had been given away. Were there brothers or sisters? Had she thought about him at all over the years? She wondering what his life had been like. Had he been happy? Had she done the right thing?

Gradually tentative smiles began to appear, first hers, then his. Cautiously they approached one another with uncertainty, neither knowing exactly what to do. They reached out in awkward silence, until ever so gently their hands touched. A tense moment passed, and then they embraced.

Now they stood, arms tightly wrapped around each other until tears turned to sobs. When the sobs gradually subsided a kindred warmth seemed to pass between them as though decades of pent up emotions were suddenly and finally released to flow freely.

Tears wiped away and smiles returned, arm in arm they walked out the door side by side. There were many years to reclaim, much to discover and a new unknown future ahead. Finally, hopefully, at last they were together again.

Published by Daniel McGeorge

Much has happened during my long life. Living, loving, laughing, crying, thriving and scraping by. Fighting in a war in a far away land, working an assembly line, driving a truck, living and working in a mortuary, selling Fuller Brush products door to door, hawking carpet over the phone. This all led to an exciting professional career as a speech pathologist and educator. Planes, trains, and automobiles have taken me across the world, from the hills and valleys of Ireland to the peaks of the Himalayas. From the Rockies of Alberta and the lakes of Nova Scotia to the dusty roads of Mexico. I’ve trekked the swamps of Florida, the bayous of Louisiana and the shores of our mighty Great Lakes. London, Shanghai, Bangkok, Mumbai, and Kathmandu have all welcomed me into their experience. Even the remote hill country of Guizhou China opened its arms to me. It’s been a great life so far. And there is so much more to do. Why don’t you come along for the ride through the Stories From My Mind?