I always thought my Uncle Tommy was the funniest guy. He wasn’t around a whole lot because he lived in Texas, but I spent a lot of summers with his kids (my cousins), Jennifer and Kenneth, at my grandma’s house. We had the best time. Jennifer and I would always put my grandmother’s high heels on and perform skits for the family. Jennifer reached out to me today about my book and it occurred to me that my Uncle was adopted from Seoul, Korea! It is such a sweet and special story, too. My grandfather was a First Sergeant in the US Army and served in WWII, Korea and Vietnam conflicts. My mom told me that a Korean mother had to put her two year old into the hospital with tuberculosis. She begged for a soldier to adopt the child so that he could receive the treatment he needed to survive. My grandfather stepped forward to adopt him and he became my Uncle Tommy. I spoke to him today; I had not spoken to him since 1998, for no good reason. When I remembered that he was adopted, I decided to call him to get his side of the story. He doesn’t remember being in that hospital or the events that led to his adoption but he remembers being loved and raised just like any other kid. I asked him whether or not he felt different (especially since he was half Korean) but he says no. He said that he was raised in a loving home with everything any other kid had, if not more. He said it never occurred to him that he was adopted and he believes that anyone who is raised that way should feel the same way. He wondered why I felt the need to search for my birth mother because he knew I had grown up in a loving home with a loving family. I told him I had been curious and that was it. I think he understood that, even though he couldn’t relate. He really had zero information on his biological parents and said that it had not occurred to him to ask his parents while they were alive. He really is fine not knowing. I wonder if it is a male adoptee vs a female adoptee thing… Are females generally more curious than males are? My Uncle has an amazing story and he doesn’t even recognize or care about his backstory or the first two years of his life. He had loving parents who raised him like any other kid. I say, good for him. He never had that burden or curiosity or the loss that so many adoptees do feel. I love you, Uncle Tommy, this one was for you! Xoxo