How I Came To Bee

When I first saw the topic for this week's Moday Listicles, I was going to opt out. It gave me flashbacks of my childhood which was laden with projects surrounding the theme of "family trees". Teachers prompted us to explore our lineages - to draw trees with photos and dotted lines connecting our family members, showing how we were made, where we came from, and sometimes even showing who we ressembled. It was all about biological ties - something I didn't share with my family.

I love a challenge, so instead of making up excuses for why I can't participate in this project, I'm going to embrace it. I'm going to face my childhood insecurities and write a list about my own unique family history, how it has evolved and influenced the person that I am today. So here here it is, my list of 10 things "family tree".

1) It all started with a boy and a girl. They were in love, and they made a baby. They were young, they were financially unstable, and they wanted more for their baby, so they made the difficult decision to give her up for adoption.

2) A woman with a passion for children made the decision to help a family in need. Fate brought her a little girl who needed love, and the woman and the little girl were bonded for life. The woman signed some papers and officially became the little girl's mother.

3) The woman was temporarily married to a man. Their love ended and he soon married another woman who had a child of her own. Together they had another child and began their own family. The little girl lost touch with that man, and he was never to be heard from again.

4) The woman and the little girl spent a few years living happily on their own, until several years later, when the woman met a loving man who had 2 children of his own. They fell in love, married, and when the little girl was 21, he legally became her father.

5) At the age of 29, the girl met a boy who loved her unconditionally. They dated for many years, and eventually became husband and wife.

6) The girl and her husband longed for a child of their own, so they made a beautiful baby girl. She was their pride and joy. She was the girl's first biologically-tied family member, and the love that she felt for her baby confirmed her desire to have another child.

7) The girl and her husband made another baby - this time a beautiful baby boy. They felt like their family was finally complete, and the family of four lived happily ever after.

8) One day, the girl checked her email, and to her surprise, she had a note from a stranger who identified himself as her biological father. They emailed each other every day, until one day they met in person.

9) The girl and her biological father shared a few visits, exchanged several emails, and developed a special and everlasting friendship. The biological father had two boys, half brothers to the girl who once had no biological ties. She hopes to one day meet them, and the rest of her extended biological family.

10) The girl now has an adopted family who loves her, who made her who she is and who will remain her constant for the rest of her life. She has her own family of four, that she has created with her loving husband. She has an extended family of friends who have loved and supported her through her journey, and she now has a biological father with whom she has reconnected. He knows her past, her biological lineage, and is the one who brought her into this world.

The girl now has a solid foundation, with many fruitful branches, limbs and leaves - all of which have contributed to the beautiful tree that she has become today.