Not feminism-related...

[Samurai_Writer]

But had to share the news. See the lounge post!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=105x4982488

[Cerridwen]

1. Congratulations!

I'm so happy for you I'm a little misty eyed myself.

Thank you so much for sharing such great news with us!

May I give you a little :hug: ? I don't mean to be presumptuous.

[Samurai_Writer]

2. Of course!

I could use all the hugs I can get! :)

[lukasahero]

3. Wow.

I can't even imagine how you must feel. How wonderful for you. Thank you for sharing your news with us. :)

[Katherine Brengle]

4. That's amazing!!!

You must be so happy--I am so happy for both of you.

A good friend of mine (who is actually one of my best friend's mother, but a darling woman in her own right) gave up a daughter when she was 14 years old. A couple of years ago, she finally met her--35 years old, with children of her own!

It was an amazing thing to see, and it gave her so much joy to see that her child had been raised well and gone on to have a good life.

:)

[Bunny]

5. Oh that's wonderful news!

How exciting! :bounce:

[ismnotwasm]

6. That is so cool

I'm going to listen to Mother and Child reunion, I'm very, very happy for you!!

(I have a friend, a young woman, who lost custody of her 4 children because of drug use, she cleaned up and got them back. --7 years now and going strong-- I made a copy of the lyrics of that song, altered them just a bit, and put them in a frame for her the day she saw her children again.)

[MountainLaurel]

7. Oh RadFem!

:hug:

[BlueIris]

8. Aw. That is GREAT news.

Congratulations, hope you get everything you want out of the situation.

[Sparkly]

9. That is wonderful!!

Thanks for sharing your joy here!! :hug:

[bliss_eternal]

10. I beg to differ--

this is feminism related. You're a feminist and this is about you and your life. ;)

Congratulations on your great news--and thanks for sharing!

[cally]

11. I have a big smile on my face

Thanks for sharing your wonderful news. Here's another celebratory :hug:

[Lydia Leftcoast]

12. How wonderful for you!

:bounce:

[Samurai_Writer]

13. The response I'm sending to my son

Thanks for all the warm responses! Here's a draft of the letter I'm going to send to my son. Let me know what you think.

Dear Son's real name,

Thank you so much for your letter. I am glad to hear how well you are doing and about the wonderful things you are doing with your life.

It was probably hard to write this first letter to me, and I completely understand that. I am just glad you had the courage to write and tell me the reason why you have not written before now. I really appreciate it.

I am willing to have whatever level of communication you are comfortable with, and as always, am here if you have any questions.

I have moved (yes, again), and have a new address. I was living in YYYYY when I first moved to Colorado, but found the housing too small and way too expensive. I am still officially in YYYYY (unincorporated part), but am up in the mountains, in a little town called XXXXX. I love it up here, it is very peaceful and beautiful.

To give you a quick update on what's been going on with me, I am still working as a technical writer and editor. I moved here to be closer to my sister and her family, especially my nieces. They are 5 and 3 years old, and my sister and husband adopted them from China. I've really enjoyed having a more active part in their lives.

In my spare time, I do photography semi-professionally. You can view some of my photos at http://photos.yahoo.com/xxxxxxxx . I also enjoy hiking, riding my bike, playing piano, cooking (I'm a vegetarian), reading, spending time with family, and taking care of my two cats and my housemates' two dogs when they are gone (they travel alot). I volunteer with the XXXXX Fire Department, and also am a volunteer adoption searcher, helping people reunite with their birth family members. I volunteer at the homeless shelter when I can. Like you, I have always felt the need to 'give back' to the community, to help make this world a little bit of a better place.

Again, thank you for your letter, and I hope that in writing it, it has given you some comfort as well. Feel free to write me whenever you like.

Love,
RadFem's real name
address
phone
email