The Family Twist podcast started out as a book idea. Once we discovered Kendall’s birth family was alive and (relatively) well, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to write a third book – and many folks agreed.
However, as we navigated this journey, we encountered some rocky waters. The book that looked like sunshine and lollipops at the beginning also included lollipops that fell into the sandbox, which left me with a question: If I wrote a book with no holds barred, would that alienate some of the family we just got to know?
The book went on the back burner.
But the desire to share Kendall’s story nagged me. Everyone we told got excited and/or teary-eyed – and many were prompted to share their own story.
“Wow, my husband just found his birth family, too!”
“Has it been a good experience?”
“Yes. Mostly.”
There are many others out there that have stories of found-family or tales of adoption – good, bad and ugly (or a mixture of all three).
We started this journey with a singular goal: find Kendall’s birth family.
But as the journey continues, we find more and more friends, family members, acquaintances and complete strangers with stories to share. We can all learn from these stories and perhaps telling them and hearing them can help better shape our journeys – and those who are just embarking on similar journeys.
Kendall and I jumped in with all four feet and shared a parachute. We immediately packed up our critters and stuff and moved all the way across the country, from the Bay Area of California to New England. From the first day we met his clan to the day we moved was less than three months. Yes, we’re insane (and that’s not the first time we made a decision like that, but that’s another story.)
Do we regret that hasty move? No. Sometimes, maybe. Sometimes, yes.
Did we do everything the right way? Hell no! But who’s to say what’s “right” anyway? For some it may be the way we did it. For others, baby steps.
That’s why we’re creating this podcast. We want to share this found-family journey so you can learn what decisions we made and why. We’ll talk to other people on found-family journeys so we – and others like us – can learn from it.
Everyone, and I mean everyone, has a crazy family story. Family isn’t always easy but is ultimately one of the greatest gifts we get.
We love our found family, our old family, our chosen family and even our former family. They all helped shape who we are and who we’ll become.
Thank you for coming on the journey with us. – Corey
