The Decision That Changed Everything

My grandmother made the choice to contact an adoption agency because she believed it was the only way to save my sister and me. She saw my mother working inside a factory she could barely leave. She saw her exhausted, trapped, and unable to come home. She saw me losing weight and crying from hunger. She knew my mother loved us, but she also knew love alone was not enough to keep us alive.

She made the decision without telling my mother, because she believed my mother would refuse, even if refusing meant continuing to struggle in a situation that was impossible to survive.

When my mother found out what had been done, it devastated her.

She blamed her own mother.

She felt betrayed, hurt, and powerless.

She tried to reach us, but the paperwork had already moved forward.

It took a long time for the two of them to talk again.

The pain was deep for both sides.

But over the years, they slowly rebuilt their relationship.

My mother eventually came to understand why my grandmother made that choice.

And my grandmother carried the guilt of it for the rest of her life.

They forgave each other because they loved each other, even after everything that happened.

That forgiveness became part of my family story too.