“I’ve Been Thinking… About The Search Of A Lifetime” (part 2 of what could be many)

Well, if you’re back to read more then the first post on this topic and story must have struck a chord with you. If it did, good. I’m glad you are here. You were left hanging at the end of Part 1; and for good reason. First, it’s because I hadn’t finished the next part to allow it to flow seamlessly. Second, I didn’t want to lose you with too long of a part 1. And last, the pause allows you to feel a little bit of the same excitement and anxiousness (sort of) that Erin and I have felt as we moved through the most recent developments of finding our birth father and a part of our family we never knew.

As I left off part 1, I had just made contact with a cousin of ours, Jim, and he sent my Facebook message to another cousin, Andrew. As I stated previously, things really take off and the whole emotional roller coaster really gets moving. I called Erin as soon as I heard from Jim and she was like “What?! Really?!”. Yes! we found some family. We can now confirm the man we had been thinking was our birth father WAS actually our birth father. And I informed her that Jim was following up with Andrew and I would loop her in as soon as I heard anything. Which, at this point, I assumed we would be getting more follow up since we made an official family connection with Jim.

Here’s how the next part went and this is directly from Andrew and Jim (told to us later): Jim reached out to Andrew after we messaged on Facebook. Jim wanted to check with Andrew to find out if this was real, if I was real, and that this wasn’t a scam of some kind. I mean I didn’t tell Jim I was a Nigerian Prince looking to share my money with him if he would just send me his banking information – so that was a good start. So Andrew asked him to forward the message and send him a profile picture of mine from Facebook and he would actually be able to follow up with HIS parents as well and confirm what they could. ((OK, let me warn you now, you are going to have to remember some things here as we go. This is where things will start to go back and forth and you may end up saying “Wait, who’s who?” as I keep going. And I get it; Erin and I even did this at first too. This new side of our family is pretty extensive and we are just now scratching the surface of this now unfolding family history for Erin and I)). It was pretty easy for Andrew to figure out who I was. He called his parents and said “You’re not going to believe this… we found Erin and Jarrett!”. Andrew’s parents, our Uncle Joe and Aunt Lois Lloyd, were ecstatic and shocked! “What? How? Are you sure?”. The shock set in and the tears would flow as their hearts were so relieved to know we have been found. Andrew followed up with me pretty quick to let me know he talked to his parents and that they would also follow up. And, not long after, I got a message from Aunt Lois that made my heart sink and soar at the same time. So much so that I couldn’t read the message without tearing up and Brooke had to finish it for me the first time. Aunt Lois’ message was able fill us in a bit on some quick family information and also how elated she and our Uncle Joe were to finally connect with Erin and I after so many years – “I can’t believe we found you!”; she went on to say that they have also been looking for us for so many years since we left Maryland… nearly 50 years ago! In fact, Aunt Lois mentioned how she AND our grandmother spent countless time searching for us, especially as the internet became easier to do so. I was shocked, Erin was shocked. This moment is one that will never be shaken from me and one that still gives me chills to talk about and even think about (yes, even as I write this now) and the moment just hit home so freaking hard. We actually had family out there looking for US! I was speechless. How could this be? Where were they? Who are they? What happened? So many questions flooded in and it took a lot to settle the nerves and get to the point of talking with Erin and sort of talking through what just happened and how we got to this point.

To hear them talk about it now I still get emotional, but Aunt Lois and Uncle Joe were beside themselves with emotion when they made contact with us. Andrew and his wife, Melissa, were able to relay messages quickly and communication avenues opened up with them… as well as SO many other relatives we’ve never known! But hearing from Uncle Joe and Aunt Lois was tremendous and in various messages we were able to get some old photos of really young Erin and I. They were able to fill in some time gaps from what they knew and remembered. And, it was so heartwarming and, yes, emotional, to hear them talk of Erin and I when we were so young. Some great stories will be told but I want to keep getting to the main point of this whole story… our birth father. Aunt Lois and Uncle Joe confirmed some of what we knew and asked if Erin and I wanted them to touch base with Carlton David Lloyd, or as the family calls him – “Kit”. Erin and I agreed it would be good for them to touch base with him first instead of Erin and I showing up on his doorstep – “Hey there, we’re your kids!”. HA. As it turned out, they were already planning a quick visit during a stop-over in Dallas, TX where Kit had been living with his wife, Mary Jean, for several years. After that stop in Dallas, Uncle Joe and Aunt Lois were heading planning to head to Colorado to see Andrew and Melissa and other extended family there. So, as you can see, the timing was still coming together…