Family

Rowan, Ion and Harry

This morning I'm privileged to be attending my nephew Ion's year 12 Graduation Ceremony over at Kedron Park High. Needless to say I'm very proud of his achievements. I didn't meet Ion until the day of his 6th birthday party in December 1999. Until then I didn't know he even existed...or his father, mother, older brother and sister and baby brother! I had been brought up as an only child but knew my mother had a daughter from a previous marriage and who lived with rellies in NSW. But I also apparently had a brother who had been given up for adoption and he finally tracked me down in December 1999. What a lot of emotions I can recall from that time in 1999...getting to know a whole new family and being able to use the term-'my brother...' My mother was still alive at that time but in a nursing home. She and my brother spent some wonderful times together; he was so 'good' with her. At first I felt so sorry for her giving up a child like that; I couldn't even imagine what it was like. Then I went through another phase of being angry with her- shortlived thank goodness as it's no point being upset with things that you can't change! She died a few days after my 50th birthday and Harry ( my brother was named Rosario by my mother and his adoptive parents re-named him Ralph but he's known as Harry)was there to help and support me. They had had 18months together where she was quite 'with it' and then the last 6 months weren't so good as the MS really 'flared up' and took away her swallowing mechanism and speaking was difficult. And my life was to continue to change...