The Wishbone
For me Thanksgiving has not been a happy holiday for a very
long time. How could I be happy? It is
only a month after my son’s birthday and everyone in the country is talking
about family traditions, family recipes, family this, and family that. My heart just hurts for the family I gave
away – and how much I miss him.
This year I keep thinking about that tradition of breaking
the wishbone.
If a turkey was on your Thanksgiving table perhaps you kept
the wishbone aside.
Do you remember the ‘rules?’
First is to not break the wishbone while carving the turkey.
After removing the wishbone from the bird clean it and sit
it aside to dry.
You can’t really break it until the bone has dried, so you
wait.
Finally the day comes when you each hold an end of the
wishbone and pull.
Whoever gets the larger end wins – and they get to make a
wish!
I remember a few times as a kid breaking the wishbone with
my older sister.
This year I was pondering this whole practice, and thinking
about how unlucky it is from the wishbone’s point of view. Something in my little head snapped as I realized that
adoptees are usually the wishbone in the whole mess of adoption.
I kept thinking of my son and how I hope to hear from him,
allthewhile realizing all the reasons of why I probably won’t.
I can’t imagine how ‘pulled’ he may be feeling right now
– pulled by the wishes of his adoptive family
– pulled by the hopes from his original family
I don’t want to hurt him,
So I passively? Fearfully? Hopefully? Almost patiently? wait
If/when he reaches out and there is a chance for reunion,
I don’t want to be party to him being torn, or splintered
–as if it is competition between me and his aparents
Yes, I understand that the very fact he is adopted and has
two sets of parents
He may already feel like he has to choose
But I don’t want it to be a pressure that comes from me,
I would not want it to become a lucky wishbone pull with him
in the middle
If his aparents feel that way, I would have to let go of ‘my
end’ of the wishbone,
I just don’t want to hurt him like that.
No
wishbone
pulling
contest
here
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