Anyway, the cousin planning the reunion sent me the following message on Ancestry tonight:
Hello! Youre one of my cousins, but Im not exactly sure which one!
Hello! I know you're one of my Uncle Jack's granddaughters, but I don't know if you're Joseph's daughter or Andy's daughter... I hope this isn't an intrusion, but I'd love to know who you are! Thanks so much.
Pam Von Trapp (daughter of Bob, Jack's younger brother)
I had been dreaming of such an opportunity. Two of my three paternal uncles are already on AncestryDNA, and neither has ever reached out to me because they went to Joseph instead, which was reasonable but leaves me wondering if they avoid messaging me now out of respect for my privacy or because they want nothing to do with me. I want to be in touch, but how would they respond? I am too afraid to ask.
Pam is my first DNA match who knows Joseph and isn't in the loop on who I am. How do I respond so that I neither cast myself as an immediate, permanent outsider nor offend her by assuming too much? Is admitting I'm his daughter offensive? He donated sperm anonymously! That doesn't make you his DAUGHTER! People have strong feelings about the semantics of sperm donation and family.
I think I have to acknowledge that I'm donor conceived. I can't tell if she's hinting she knows I'm someone new. So much of the family doesn't communicate that she might not even know my half-sister Simone's name. She might think I'm her. I also want to make my introduction as little about Joseph as possible, though that makes it harder to word than "Joseph donated sperm while at medical school." I want her to know that my half-siblings acknowledge me so she knows she wouldn't have to be some sort of trailblazer to speak to me too. Joseph is the only person I've reached out to who has flat out rejected me, but I'm afraid it'll happen again. I don't like being different. I just want to be accepted. This sounds really whiny, but it is what it is.
tl;dr: I worry too much about things that don't really matter. And I crave the love and acceptance of people I may or may not like were I to actually meet them.
tl;dr: I worry too much about things that don't really matter. And I crave the love and acceptance of people I may or may not like were I to actually meet them.
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