Join Jason on a heartfelt journey as he explores the question: ‘Who do you seek or need more love from, your mother or your father?’ In this episode of ‘Jason’s Journey: Finding the Missing Piece of Love,’ he reflects on the profound impact of adoption and how it becomes an internal quest. Tune in for poignant insights and personal reflections on the power of love and identity.
I’ve been waiting to know who my biological father is for 54
years. It shouldn’t be this way for anyone on the planet. It’s simply absurd that any human being would not know where they come from. But for some of us,
it’s reality. And, as wonderful as your current life may be, you still want to know where it all originated. I’ve had some sad days in the journey of waiting to
know my bio father, or know about him if he’s no longer living or rejects me. But long ago I decided I wasn’t going to let it
steal my joy. Ziplining with my family in Mexico.Life is never problem free. So, we’ve got learn to enjoy our life even
though we have troubles. Doing my Titanic pose in Guatemala last year.I’ve been waiting so long to know who my bio father is, it’s hard to imagine not being in the circumstance anymore of not knowing who I come from. But that day is coming.
As I wait for it, I’m going to enjoy the heck out of life. I make it a point to celebrate everything from the mundane to the
miraculous.
I savor my first cup of coffee in the morning and actually
start thinking about it the night before. (Yes, seriously. Sometimes I break down and make a cup at night even though I know the caffeine isn’t a good idea.) I never get tired of the coffee bar my husband surprised me with a few years ago when I came home from Africa. It’s never lost on me what an amazing man he is to do this for me. Speaking of my husband, he’s been mine for 33 years of marriage and two years of dating. We still enjoy each other. Plenty of people complained during the pandemic that their partner was driving them crazy and they couldn’t wait to get out of the house. Not us. We found out, we still like each other. From an itty bitty studio apartment our first year of marriage where we didn’t have two nickels to rub together…to now when we are blessed beyond belief… We are still happy. This was my face when he surprised me on my birthday two years ago with an upgrade to a suite on our cruise. I was happy during the early days of marriage when I was figuring out how to make a package of four pieces of chicken last an entire week. I would mix it with a few potatoes, onions and a can of tomatoes and stew it. It got us through and we were loving life. I’m just as happy now when he’s surprising me with crazy nice stuff but if it all went away tomorrow, I would still be happy. It’s not about material things, but I’m thankful for everything. I treasure every moment with my family. I can’t wait to do the
next thing with them.Family Cruise to Alaska 2019Jordan, Tori and Mila Livvy and Brody I adore our sweet puppy. Manchester Shrodes
Manny is my unofficial support animal, my official snuggle buddy and nap partner.I take time to really celebrate every success at work before
moving on to the next project. Thrive 2019 at the Ocean Center Arena, Daytona Beach I am mindful with every class I take at SEU what a blessing it is to have the opportunity to further my education . I am
appreciative of every moment with my classmates, knowing that we won’t always have
these times together as a group. We will graduate in May 2022 and our lives
will go on.
As much as I love to travel and explore, I take joy in being at home relaxing on a rainy day, reading books from another special space Larry created for me. Books have ALWAYS made me happy…Yes, this is really me, taking every opportunity to read.Walking outdoors and bike riding always makes me feel on top of the world. Like I could do anything, and solve the world’s problems. Bike riding in Alaska – 2019.Bath bombs,
body butter, and the coziness of candlelight make me really happy. Actually, ridiculously happy. I light candles every day at our home.I am fond of creating meals for our family or going out to dinner. I get excited just to set the table. Taking photos is a regular thing, like with the eggplant this past week that I made for us to celebrate Lexi’s homeschooling accomplishments with the kids.
I don’t have to wait until I have found my bio father and paternal
family to enjoy life to the fullest. But that doesn’t mean I don’t really want to find them. There is always that longing no matter how happy I am. I’ve spoken to hundreds of adoptees about this, and find a lot of agreement on this. Speaking of finding my paternal family…
There are more leads right now.
We are getting closer.
We never give up.Ever.
I have the best friends who join me in working on the search.
They have been faithful for years, especially Gayle Lechner, my favorite minion. She is still not done overturning every stone in Richmond, Virginia and I love that she won’t ever stop. Gayle
We ask the questions and believe for answers. We pray to find kind, helpful people who understand. Most of
the time we do. When we don’t, I remind
myself that nothing worth it is every easy.
If you are an adoptee and you are searching, I
encourage you to enjoy your life while you
are waiting. Our family jumping for joy, back when the kids were in high school.If you have already finished your search and experience
secondary rejection (been there, done that) you can also enjoy your life
despite that terrible reality you face. There is life after secondary
rejection. That’s another post for another day.
No matter what circumstance you face, delight in the sweet
parts of your life. You’ve already lost enough. Hold on to happiness like a hair on a grilled cheese sandwich!!Fun moment with the Guatemala missions team last year. Favorite day!
It has been ten months (310 days from today, to be exact) since I found my bio father Gus, and
reunited with him. And in those ten months I’ve learned many things too
numerous to list on one blog post. But today, here’s the one I will focus on.
The entire freaking world is obsessed with adoptive parents. Nothing has changed. And
before you say, “It’s just the Christian world, not the whole world…” you’re wrong. I
promise you on a stack of Bibles, it is THE WHOLE WORLD.
My story hit the news media without me even trying. The extent
of my “try” was writing Facebook posts about my father and I to my friends
(that were set to public) and made their way into the hands of the media. I was
fine with that, and actually honored. However, it has not been without
frustration.
One of my biggest headaches in this season has been navigating
media inquiries regarding my adoptive parents. One hundred percent of the time,
when any media outlet has contacted me, they have wanted to go there. Sometimes
literally! One media outlet requested to send a crew to interview both my
parents. I said no, that I would refuse to do the interview, if they did. They
backed down once I set that boundary.
One news outlet said that if they did not include my parents
in the story, their readers would, “not be able to handle it.” I pushed back on
this and was told that they (the media) would be bombarded with emails and
calls asking about my parents. I said, “So???” They said, “Well, you might be
bombarded with questions about them, too.” And I said, “And you don’t think I’m
used to that?” I set a boundary by saying, “If you need to contact my adoptive parents to do the article,
then I’m not your person and my story isn’t the one for you.”
Recently, I was interviewed by Haley Radke on the Adoptees
On podcast, and she said that she found the media coverage about my bio father
and I refreshing because it was centered on us, and not my adoptive parents. She noted that this is not typically the case. I
let her know that this was only because I fought for that, and set a strong boundary. If the media had their way, it would have been different.
I say all this to let you know…nothing has changed in this
regard. Nothing.
They still (even the liberal news media) focus on adoptive parents
first, birth parents second, and IF they focus on the adoptee it is third, but
many times we are not considered. The world is still very much adoptive parents centric.
I was assured multiple times that a story would be adoptee
centric, but in every single case, it was never exclusively so, as they
would push to include my adoptive parents in some regard.
Sadly an adoptee can be 56 years old, and they are still
asking to “check in” with our parents. And they wonder why we say we feel like
perpetual children?
I literally qualify to order off the freaking SENIORS MENU at
a restaurant now and people are STILL CHECKING IN WITH MY PARENTS.
How crazy is this?
Fortunately for me, I am not trying to get news coverage.
I can take it or leave it. Every person who has contacted me has been out of the blue and I have not
sought it. If they want to include my adoptive
parents in the piece, I can drop it and they can find someone else.
This just gets tiring. I really thought when I hit a certain
age, this would stop. But it appears you can technically be in your senior
years and people will insist on talking to Mommy and Daddy.
And nobody but us thinks this is bizarre?
Join us in this touching episode, “Finding a New Path: Brittany Brown’s Adoption Story,” as we delve into Brittany’s remarkable journey. Despite her challenging experiences with pregnancy, Brittany’s deep yearning to become a mother persisted. Discover how an unexpected opportunity arose when a fellow church member expressed the desire to give her child up for adoption. Through this heartwarming tale, witness how bonds were formed between two families, ultimately uniting them through love, compassion, and the shared joy of motherhood.
