Family Secret: Love And Forgiveness Are Intertwined.

“Love And Forgiveness Are Intertwined” is a sequel to Lost And Found: The Family That Raised Me Stole Me. If you haven’t already, read that first to fully enjoy this story.

My birth parents had spent fifty years talking about me, praying for me, loving me in spirit. They had fervently kept faith that somehow, I would find my way home. Love is patient; love is hopeful. This family had refused to give me a burial and funeral in absentia because they knew I was alive.. My birth father had gone to the beach every year on date his twin boys were born to summon the heavens and earth to lead me home. And here I sat, dumbfounded, riddled with emotion, trying not to breakdown again.

I told them about the life I’ve had. The people I’ve seen and the places I’ve been. I talked about my work and why I was in the village. I showed photos of my wife and children, and that of my parents in France. My birth father asked me a question that tore my heart into shreds, “With all you have acquired and the life you’ve built, are you able to accept us as family?”

My newfound family thought I would reject them because of social status! They clearly and rightfully so, do not know the people who raised me. They may be baby thieves but, they raised me well, they taught me respect and value for humanity.

“Of course I accept you! Of course!” I said.

But I still needed to speak with my parents. I called them that very night on video. “There appears to be something you guys forgot to tell me all these fifty years of my life. Would you want to do it now?”

My mother began crying again. But I could see relief spread over my fathers face.

“How do you tell a child you kidnapped them? And how do you tell a young man he’s not your blood. And how do you tell a middle aged man you’ve lied to him all his life?” my father said, clearly ashamed and yet relieved.

Fifty years ago, a Ghanaian business woman visited a small Ivorian village. She was buying fish and coconut oil in large quantities. Someone introduced her to my birth parents, my birth father was a fisherman and his wife made the finest, cold pressed coconut oil. She traded with my birth parents for a couple of years, and she became like family, she was kind and generous. She helped them expand their fishing and oil businesses, and whenever she was in the village, my birth family hosted her. That woman was the maternal grandmother I grew to know, love and adore.

So loved and trusted was she to this family that, the young woman left her weeks old twins in her care to go run errands. When the young woman returned, one twin was fast asleep and the other, together with her guest, were nowhere to be found. No one had seen her leave, it was as if she vanished into thin air with the baby.

Fifty years ago, two love birds had been married for twelve years without children, and then they conceived. But the child was stillborn. The woman’s mother instructed the young, bereaved couple not to say peep about the stillbirth to anybody, she had a plan. It was easy to keep the stillbirth a secret because in the last stages of her pregnancy, the young woman had left her matrimonial home in Accra to go stay with her mother in the Western Region of Ghana. A few days after her baby’s stillbirth, her mother crossed the border to Cote D’Ivoire, and returning a few days later, she had a replacement. Me. The two love birds are the parents that raised me.

Love and forgiveness are intertwined. The young couple were afraid, but how do you ask your mother or mother-in-law to return a baby she stole. She said they would kill her if she went to give me back. And not having the heart to leave me behind to suffer for something I didn’t do, my parents accepted me.

And to make up for the injustice and imbalance they knew they had caused me, they loved me hard. They pushed me far! But they could never bring themselves to tell me my truth, their truth, all our truth. They didn’t think I would understand or forgive.

I forgive my parents because how could I not, I love them, and love and forgiveness may be twins like my brother and me, inseparable. I have no angst, no judgement, just gratitude for all I’ve been given. My birth father says I am the family’s Joseph, sent forth to make the path easier. To pull them out of the clutches of poverty.

The heart of forgiveness and gratitude my birth parents have towards my parents is beautiful and amazing.

Misskorang, in this life, your glass may be half full or half empty, your choice, but either way, when you’re thirsty, you will drink from that glass, so why not make it a positive drinking experience? I was an only child, and suddenly I have a twin brother and two younger sisters. I have nephews and nieces. I now have two sets of parents who love me to bits. How many people can say they are citizens of three countries? I am Ghanaian- Ivorian-French!

As I type this, I have found employment for my brother on an oil vessel. My sisters and their families have settled nicely in France. I have put my college age nephews and nieces in good colleges, all expenses paid. All my birth mother wants from me is to have meals together and take walks. My wife is over the moon, having a baby sitter 24/7 in my birth parents.

Misskorang, I have no time for angst. I absolutely have no space for could’ve, would’ve, and should’ves. And bless my late grandmother for playing God, it is between her and God now.

Love and forgiveness are intertwined, and when you accept and blend the two, you find peace from your broken pieces.

Editor’s Note: Sir, the heart of your mind is absolutely beautiful! And thank you for following this blog and for contributing. I am glad you are finding peace and forgiveness and loving your family through their imperfections. I wish you many years of love and laughter with your family.

At MissKorang we strive to bring you life stories that teach timeless life lessons and, some of those stories, like this one, are real life stories submitted by our readers and shared with their permission. Identifying attributes are edited out to protect our contributors’ privacy.Can you leave your thoughts with these kind people in the comments? If you want to send us your experience, email us at submissions@misskorang.com. Or submit using this anonymous form. Please do not reproduce any part of this content without permission from us. Our stories contain affiliate links. When you click and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

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