KLATH: Kristy, Lynnelle, Aaron, Thad, Heather and our Families! We believe that Family Life is an Adventure and We invite you to share our Adventure with us!
Thursday, March 5, 2015
Wednesday, March 4, 2015
Our Story
February 13, 2015 is
the day our world completely changed. It changed for my momma Kristy, myself,
(Lynnelle) and my siblings Aaron and Heather. The effects of this are far
reaching and we hope that our story can uplift everyone it touches. This is OUR
story and we are so honored and privileged to share it!
LUCKY (FEB.) 13!
It is difficult to
describe the emotions, feelings and thoughts that have filled our minds and
hearts in the last few weeks. There are countless tender mercies leading up to
that day, all contributing to this life changing event. We continue to be
amazed as we talk, laugh and cry about all of it.
On Feb 13th, our older brother who had been
adopted, whom we had never known, found our family! He found his momma, and he
found his three siblings. Over 20 years of searching for his family, culminated
in both a Family History and Facebook connection story that blows our minds.
How did this happen?
This is a story of miracles!
Thad was lovingly
given an adoptive family right after his birth in 1968. His was a typical
closed adoption. No information was supposed to have been given to his adoptive
parents about his birth mother. BUT a slip of paper with his birth mother’s
signature, Kristy Kindred, was in the file they received from the hospital.
Holding that name close to their hearts, his parents always let Thad know that
he was loved and that he was adopted. When he was a teenager, his parents gave
him the name of his momma. From that time on, Thad knew he would find her
somehow, somewhere, sometime.
Thad has been
actively searching for this part of his family (namely our momma) for over 20
years.-- Even registering on Oprah’s Big Hugs internet site with the little
information he had many years ago.
Fast forward several
years….Thad’s father Jay, an avid Family History user, was perusing the
obituaries and saw the article written for our grandfather Ted Kindred, which
listed our mother as one of four surviving children. Gathering all the
information they could at the time, Thad and his dad were able to find contact
information for momma’s brothers, Evan and Bob but nothing for her sister
Valerie or for her. Nervous about walking into a situation where he wasn’t sure
if he was wanted, he held onto that contact information for several months.
Finally feeling ready and with the encouragement of his sweet wife Jennifer, he
made the calls. Both numbers were disconnected. He had hit a dead end.
Fast forward another
10 or so years to February 2015. After the death of our grandmother Iris
Kindred in January 2015, her obituary was printed in the paper. Again listed as
a survivor, was our mother. Also, someone took a picture and categorized the
gravesite and it was listed in a search engine. Thad’s father saw momma’s name
in both places in early February and made a note to discuss this with him.
Momma's mother, Iris Kindred passed away in January of 2015. As she and her siblings gathered to visit and manage the details of her funeral, momma took some time to discuss with them the feelings she was having to find her son. She wanted to consider their feelings and counsel. She wanted to know that it was ok with them, because she didn't know what kind of repercussions her finding him would have on the family and extended family. They all gave her their blessing and were very supportive! Her interest in finding him was more than an idle curiosity at this time... she was feeing drawn in this direction, being pulled by the spirit to be ready.
Momma's mother, Iris Kindred passed away in January of 2015. As she and her siblings gathered to visit and manage the details of her funeral, momma took some time to discuss with them the feelings she was having to find her son. She wanted to consider their feelings and counsel. She wanted to know that it was ok with them, because she didn't know what kind of repercussions her finding him would have on the family and extended family. They all gave her their blessing and were very supportive! Her interest in finding him was more than an idle curiosity at this time... she was feeing drawn in this direction, being pulled by the spirit to be ready.
On Feb 6th, Thad took
lunch up to his parent’s home and his father said, “Thad I think I’ve found
your mother!” He showed him the stack of papers with the information about
grandma’s death, her obituary and gravesite and the listing about momma as one
of the surviving children.
Excited to have
another lead after so long, Thad immediately took that information home and
started searching on Facebook for momma. He didn’t find her, she does not have
a FB account. BUT he did find our step-father Joe Nicolich who hadn’t posted
anything for 2 years but had 36 friends. “I knew I could totally search 36
friends, ” Thad said. As he began to search, the same names kept popping up--names
that he recognized from grandma and grandpa’s obituaries. Trying to keep the
connections straight, he kept thinking, “This has got to be it, this has got to
be my family!” Because our momma had remarried, (without Thad knowing of
course) he thought that our step-brother Bill Nicolich might be his brother.
Thad had been raised with three wonderful older sisters and the thought that he
might have a brother was totally exciting for him!
Wanting to be as
thorough as possible, Thad clicked on Bill’s wife Emily’s profile and the most
unexpected thing happened….it listed ONE MUTUAL FRIEND. AND not just one random
mutual friend, but it was a girl he had dated in High School and had a great
relationship with! Incredulous, nervous and hopeful, he contacted Heidi (Brown)
Chamberlin with a PM stating, “This is going to sound strange, but I have
reason to believe that you might be the link to finding my birth family”. Heidi
was wonderful and called Thad right away telling him that not only was Emily a
friend of hers, but that she was her cousin!
He asked if she would
be willing to introduce him and pass a letter on to Emily. She said she would
be happy to do anything she could to help him. Thad wrote a careful, tender
letter explaining who he was and why he had reason to believe that Emily was
family and that Bill was his half-brother and that her mother-in-law was his
momma. He was careful to relate that he had no intention of disrupting the
lives of anyone involved. He had been through so much already looking for years
and just wondering and hoping. He would completely understand if there was a
hesitation in contacting him back.
A kind reply came
quickly from Emily explaining that Kristy was indeed related, but that she was
her step mother-in-law and thus Bill wasn’t a blood-related brother. BUT she
also related that she would be happy to help, provided Thad could provide
details that could prove more reliably that he was indeed her son. The careful
manner in which Emily handled the situation was reassuring to Thad and he
provided her with all of the details he had gathered.
Momma said about this week of letter exchanges "Thad I love you so much!!! Your letters back and forth to Emily and Heidi...oh my gosh!?!!!?? How did you ever endure?? Courageous endurance, heart prayers, sheer committed determined will!"
Momma said about this week of letter exchanges "Thad I love you so much!!! Your letters back and forth to Emily and Heidi...oh my gosh!?!!!?? How did you ever endure?? Courageous endurance, heart prayers, sheer committed determined will!"
Emily took that
letter and made a phone call to momma in the morning of Feb 13th, 2015. After
going over the details she had been provided with, Emily tenderly asked, Kristy
do you know anything about this? “Yes, as a matter of fact, I do.” Emily gave
momma the contact information Thad had provided and they hung up the phone.
Mom immediately
related the information to her husband, Joe Nicolich and asked what he thought
she should do. He said, “You’ve wanted to know about this for a very long time
and what do you have to lose?” Knowing this was true, she dialed the phone
number provided. It went to Thad’s voice mail and she left a message...something
like, “Thad, this is your Kristy Kindred, and we need to talk.” Thad was
working at the time and when he saw a (208) number come in, he thought it was a
dealer that he works with in Idaho. It never crossed his mind that his mother
that lived in Illinois would have a (208) number!
About 15 minutes
later when he got around to listening to the message, he said he couldn’t believe
his ears!! “My dog probably thought I was having a heart attack I was crying
and yelling, NO WAY!!! I FOUND HER!!! I REALLY FINALLY FOUND HER!!! He was
pacing, crying and laughing because he was so overcome with emotion!!” Finally
after about 45 minutes when he was able to compose himself, he called momma
back. What happened there could only be described as pure joy. Both of them
were so incredibly happy about finding one another! Tears, laughter, silent
times --trying to hold the emotion, it was a once in a lifetime moment. She had
hoped, prayed and waited for this day since the birth of that sweet baby. It
was divine intervention and absolutely another miracle in our story.
Among many other
things, one of the things Thad asked about was whether he had any siblings. Mom
replied, “Yes, you have 2 sisters and 1 brother and I’m sure that they would be
so happy to talk with you.” When they hung up the phone, Thad contacted all
three of us on Facebook saying “Hello, I am so overcome with emotion right now.
I just had an amazing conversation with Kristy. I just want you to know how
much this means to me. You are welcome to contact me at any time day or night.
I look forward to talking with you.”
In the meantime, mom
contacted Heather and left a voice-mail for Aaron and I to call her. Heather
said she immediately knew something really, really important was happening! The
emotion and happiness in momma’s voice was tangible. Heather said, "I knew
this was it. I tried to be strong for momma but I immediately started sobbing
with her. I had never experienced anything like this in my life. I had no
words, and it felt incredible. I was SOOO happy for my mom. I was SOOO happy
for Thad. I could not imagine what they must be feeling if I was feeling this
way. Just a few short weeks earlier mom had shared with each of us kids that
she NEEDED to find him. She said it was time to really search for him. The
timing was finally right and we needed to take heed. We talked a little more
about it and I had an overwhelming sense of peace fill my soul." Shortly
after, Thad and Heather exchanged a few messages via Facebook. She still could
not believe this was happening.
I was in a class in
Denver, actually staying with Aaron when mom called. I got her voice mail to
call her and texted back that I was in the middle of class and would call when
I was on break. But then I had the strongest impression to just go call her
back. So I left class to do it. When she answered, she said, “Lynnelle you’ll
never guess who I talked with this morning!” “Who?” “Your brother!” “My
brother? I’m staying with Aaron this week for class… I talked to him too!” “No,
your other brother!.............” I immediately dissolved into tears. I was so
overcome that I couldn’t even really talk for a minute! “REALLY???” She then
related the previous story and I just wept with her over the phone.
For me, this moment
was HUGE!!! I had known I had a brother somewhere out there for 30 years, and
he was a constant part of my thought processes. I had had dreams about him when
I was really little before I even knew he was real, I wrote journals addressed
to “my older brother” as a teenager and generally turned to him in silent
conversation about a million times over the years when I needed someone to
listen. The thought that my brother was truly still alive and wanting to be in
contact, was overwhelming to me. I could hardly believe it. All I could do was
cry! When I hung up the phone with momma, I was so incredibly happy for her. I
kept thinking what a miracle for her, what a miracle for Thad and what a
miracle for us. I knew that in the last couple of years, we had talked several
times about trying to look for him. Recently mom had mentioned that she really
felt like she needed to look in earnest. We honestly thought we would be the
one's finding him! To have him find us was so unexpected and wonderful!
After class, I drove
home to Aaron’s house and when I heard he was on the phone with mom, I ran
straight upstairs to hear what he thought about it all. He was still on and was
talking to momma with the caution everyone should approach in a situation like
this. He wanted to make sure that we didn’t rush in and invest emotionally and
physically in a relationship that we find out weeks later was a hoax. After
hearing all of the details from mom however, it was apparent that this was a
true situation. Thad Robison was our brother and WOW!! We wanted him in our
lives too, just as much as he wanted us.
When Aaron hung up
the phone, we just looked at each other and were like “Can you believe this has
just happened?” We decided to get Heather on the phone and put her on speaker
and talked with her for a while. All three of us just couldn’t believe it! We
were so happy for momma, and curious for ourselves about him and wondering
where this day’s information was going to take us! We discussed calling him.
Should we all call him individually? Call him on a 3 way? Just Aaron and I call
since we were there together??? We
didn’t want to overwhelm him. We wanted to be careful. We wanted to do this
right. There would never be another chance to do this the first time.
Finally, Aaron and
Heather decided that I should call him, being the oldest. BUT I couldn’t just
do that with Aaron right there with me. So I told Aaron I’d wait until he
returned home from the store so we could call together. I FB messaged Thad that
we would be calling him in about 20 minutes and hoped that it could work for
him. He said anytime would work for him.
TALK ABOUT
ANTICIPATION!!!!!
When Aaron got home,
we looked at one another and were like… are you ready for this???? Finally we
dialed the number……….... and it went to Thad’s voicemail.
AAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!
Luckily for us he
called back in just a few minutes. We all said hello and then basically started
crying. He immediately expressed his gratitude to us for being willing to
contact him. He expressed his gratitude to momma and his thanks for his life.
He had had a good life. His parents and sisters are incredible and have always
treated him wonderfully. He had however always wondered about momma and whether
he had any siblings. The pieces to his life puzzle were coming together very
quickly.
After talking for a
while, we asked him if he would be willing to let us get Heather on the phone
as well. We didn’t want to be overwhelming with the three of us, but she was
willing to get on the phone if he was ok with it. He was super excited for that
to happen so we hung up and got Heather on and called him back.
The most surprising
thing for every one of us was the “INSTANT” connection that we felt for one
another when the 4 of us were all together on the phone. The spirit of family
connection was beyond strong. The chemistry between us was unreal. It was as if
a missing piece of US was found, for each of us. A piece we didn’t know the
immensity of. We could not deny that connection. We heard his story from his
words and were astonished. We cried and laughed together. We talked for 3 hours
and it felt like 30 min.
Immediately plans
were put into place to meet each other. Mom had mentioned over the phone to
Thad that my son, Will was returning from his mission in Honduras the following
week and would be reporting his mission that next Sunday, Feb. 21st. She would
be there if he were to want to come up. I remember the conversation well. Thad
wanted to come up and meet momma but was so incredibly kind about not wanting
to take away from Will’s special weekend. I listened, but assured him that our
family is one that believes in large family gatherings and that we’d love to
have him and his family share that weekend.
Thad had a Film Tour
premiere in North Carolina for his GeoBass series. Everything was already
scheduled for that same weekend but he rescheduled his flights so that he could
make the weekend visit happen in Boise.
Lots of phone calls and texts happened during the next week between all
5 of us! We kids were so excited for momma to have her moment with her son. We
talked of nothing else all week together!
I returned on Sunday night from
Denver and our son, Will arrived home from Honduras on Thursday night. It was
remarkable to have him home after 2 years!
The house was
prepared for guests and on Saturday afternoon, momma & Joe drove into my
driveway! We got the cake and “welcome home signs” ready for Thad and Jennifer
and their youngest daughter to arrive later that night!
We knew via text that
they were getting close, and with every set of headlights, momma would stand up
and look! Finally a set of headlights slowed down, passed the house, and then
started to back up. Momma ran outside knowing it would be them.
Thad jumped out of
the car and held momma. That was a sacred moment under the cold February
stars. They just held each other and
wept. I can’t even imagine the feelings they were both feeling. It was a gift
to witness. Momma Kristy said, “After such a long wait. It was a spiritual,
magnetic and unstoppable first meeting. A complete envelopment of body and soul
in an instant of eternal embrace and connection. We were flowing into each
other’s smiling spirits. It was true love, now knowing that he is mine and I am
his, finally together again after that beginning 46 years ago. It was happiness
without bounds. That embrace was full of tears, gratitude, pure love, and then
even more gratitude for God's timing under the starlit canopy of his creations.
Such complete JOY. Our glasses both brimming full to overflowing all made
possible by the grace of our loving Heavenly Father, His arms around us. Our
new birth together. Our Lord Jesus Christ will be forever thanked for his hand
in helping us to this place''.... all of these thoughts in just our first
embrace...WOW!!!!!!!
Then it was my turn.
I was able to hug my big brother for the first time. It was one of the most
unique feelings I’ve ever experienced. After all of the years looking into the
heavens and wishing I knew who and where he was, holding him under those stars
for that moment was incredible. It was as if all of these empty places in my
heart were being filled. Places that I had closed with so much hoping over the
years. Conversations and songs I had shared with him across time and space
filled my memory and I was so humbled to be right there in my driveway meeting
him for real.
We all made it back
into the house and the meeting of family began in earnest.
Over the weekend,
stories, questions and pictures were shared.
We stayed up late, we used boxes of tissues and we started to learn
about one another.
On Sunday, an
unexpected moment changed all of us and gave us insight into how much Thad was
already beginning to influence our family. Levi, my 16 year old was assigned to
talk with Will for Will’s mission homecoming.
After starting his
talk out lightheartedly about Will’s need to now focus on eternal marriage, he
tenderly spoke about the miracle of Thad finding us, and about how much his and
his family’s presence with us now felt so right and good. He also said that he knew that the principle
of Eternal Families is essential to our happiness and that having Thad back
with us had made us all, including him, incredibly happy. All of us were crying
again and it made me really stop and think about the influence that one good
soul has on the lives of everyone around him. After church, we had a large
crowd of family and friends come by to wish Will their congratulations on
finishing his mission and congratulate us on our new family members! It was a
loud and crazy afternoon.
Plans were made to
get together the following weekend at Thad’s house about 5 hours away. Aaron
already had a business trip scheduled in the area and Heather lived close by.
They could take their turns meeting Thad. Then with momma, Joe, and I traveling
down, we could all be together for the first time.
Aaron met Thad at his
house after a conference he was speaking for in town. Two brothers united --can
you imagine what that felt like? The surprise, the endless laughter as stories
were multiplied and shared. Not a single break in the conversation as they
discovered that they were both world travelers for their respective jobs. They
have visited many of the same places and seen many of the same sites. They both
love the out of doors. They are both Eagle Scouts. They have the same noses.
Both so sincere and tender. So many
similarities, it goes on and on. The world is their playground and now they can
share some of those experiences together!
Heather said of that
weekend, “Even though I live the closest to Thad by distance, 26 miles, I was
the last of us to meet him (you can call it torture)!!! I really wanted my mom
to meet him first, I felt like that was the right thing and so I am happy that
I waited. I knew the opportunity for us to meet would come soon enough and I
just needed to be patient! I was so nervous. But I was even more excited! I
could not wait to hug my brother. I could not wait to see him in person! I had
tried to picture this moment before in the past. What would meeting him be like
and feel like? 13 days after our first phone conversation, the actual moment
was nothing short of wonderful. It was better than anything I could have ever
imagined. It is an experience I will never soon forget. I have a vivid picture
etched into my mind of our first moments together. He was so genuine. I knew he
was indeed part of me. The bond was so real between us. That bond is priceless.
I feel so blessed. I knew that was just the beginning of a deep friendship. I
am very lucky and I am thankful to God for bringing us all together!
The night Heather met Thad was the first night we were all together. It
was magical and we were all so happy.
We had two other
dinners that weekend all together, one at Thad’s house to meet his treasures--
his children-- whom we already adore and
love.
We also had another dinner at his parent’s home to meet his parents and
his siblings. What a treat to meet these amazing people who had raised our
brother!!! More tears, more joy. More pieces of this once in a life time
experience. They all love him so much. Watching them come together to celebrate
with him was incredible.
Through all of these experiences, we have watched Thad's wife as she has nurtured the children and the situation beautifully. We have totally fallen in love with this woman who loves our brother and their children with an unselfish and pure heart!
The days had gone by
and it was time to leave and I could hardly stand it. Aaron had flown out that
morning, Heather went home but is close enough to visit often, and I had a 5
hour trip to make. Although we will continue to make memories and family
connections, these first few times together will be forever burned into our
minds and hearts. The goodness of God, and the trust in His timing continue to
rattle around in my heart. In fact, the words in a hymn go like this…. “Leave
to thy God to order and provide”. I can’t think of another phrase that echo
better the sentiments of my heart about the timing and bounty of this
experience.
Thad Robison, we are
grateful for you--for your life, for your family for your journey and we can’t
wait to make memories together for the rest of our lives!
---GO TEAM KLATH!!!
(Kristy, Lynnelle,
Aaron, Thad & Heather!)
THAD's STORY
My journey on
this road of life began on November 5th 1968 when a beautiful young
woman was faced with the most difficult of choices and placed her newborn baby
up for adoption. Knowing that she wanted
this child to have the opportunity to live grow and be nurtured in a loving
family environment took precedence as she made the ultimate sacrifice and
placed her baby in the arms of strangers.
I was handed into the loving arms of a mother
and father along with 3 caring sisters
who gave what she wanted most for me, a family. As I grew up in Bountiful Utah
I remember my mother telling me at a very young age, probably around 5 years
old that I was adopted and that I was hers and that I just came to them in a
different way, and that I was loved and cherished no differently than any of my
sisters. I never felt otherwise and I am eternally grateful for the love,
patience, opportunities and understanding that were given to me by my parents.
They are, and always will be my family.
As they were
always so forthcoming with me about my adoption the day came, sometime when I
was in my early teens, when they told me more details about my adoption, how
they were selected, what little they knew about my birth mother, that she was
from California and then my parents gave me her name. How they came across her name, as this was a
closed adoption with no information about either party, was due do a clerical
error when an adoption paper with Kristy’s name was accidentally added to the
papers for my parents to sign. For my
entire life since then I carried the name of Kristine Kindred in my heart and
thoughts.
About 20 years ago I felt the desire to try and search for my birth mother. I remember hearing about a website being promoted on the Oprah show called BigHugs.com which was a site to help loved ones reunite. It was the early days of the internet and the site was archaic but I entered in limited search criteria such as my name, birth date, hospital of birth and my birth mother’s name. I wondered if Kristy or any siblings she may have had after my adoption might somehow be searching for me as well, and maybe they had heard of the website too and a match would eventually show up. I would check back every couple of days, then weeks, then months and eventually gave up.
About eight
or nine years ago my father unknown to me was also doing his own search. He is
a family research guru as he had been doing genealogy for our family history and
would occasionally search the family name of Kindred. Through his research he
came across the name of Ted Kindred and found his obituary, which listed his
surviving family members including his wife Iris and their four children. After
some diligence he was able to get addresses and phone numbers of Kristy’s two
brothers, but nothing on Kristy. He printed off the information and gave it to
me one day when I was at his house. He told me what he had found and that if I
were interested in pursuing finding my birth mother that I had his blessing and
that it was in my hands now. After sitting on the information for months I
finally gained the courage to try and call the phone numbers that were listed
for Kristy’s brothers. With my heart pounding and not really sure what I was
going to say, my attempt at fist contact with the Kindred family resulted in
both numbers being disconnected. My heart grew heavy and I was convinced that I
would never find her.
I remember
reminiscing about Kristy, and I also knew in my heart that she continued on
with her life, married and had other children of whom I thought about often,
wondering who they were, what they were like and if they knew about me.
Although I was the youngest in my adopted family, I knew I was the oldest of
the family I did not know and I often pictured them in my mind and pondered
about their lives as children and adults. I loved them even though I did not
know them. I wondered if they were thinking of me when I was thinking of them
as I would look into the night sky.
On February 6th
of this year I drove up to my parents house to bring them lunch. Upon my
arrival I noticed a small stack of papers neatly organized on the kitchen
table. My father picked up the papers and said, “I have something for
you.” As I looked at the papers in his
hand I saw the obituary of Iris Lynn Kindred who passed away on January 7th
in Bountiful Utah, my hometown!? My father then said, “You can take them, or if
you wish I can throw them away.” I took the papers from his hand and sat down
on the chair, silently and carefully looking at each paper. Along with the
obituary of Iris he had printed off papers with each of her children that
contained their names and addresses, which he was able to obtain from
mylife.com. Then I came across a paper
whose name at the top was Kristine Adams of Nauvoo IL, and behind it was the
name of Joseph Nicolich of Nauvoo IL who was listed as her husband. I now had
my mother’s full married name. Emotions
poured through my body. I talked with my
parents about what just transpired for the next hour. We finished lunch, I told
them thank you, that I loved them and drove home with the papers on the seat
next to me.
Immediately
upon returning home I went to my computer and started searching their names on
Facebook. Nothing came up on Kristy, but I found a profile page on Joe, and the
pieces of the puzzle almost instantly began to fall into place. Joe’s friends list was short and almost
strictly family members and as I searched though his friends the name Kindred,
Nicolich and Adams were everywhere. I found Kristy’s brothers, their children
and also Joe’s children, which at the time I wondered if they were my siblings.
I franticly clicked on each of them to see if any would have a mutual Facebook
friend of mine listed. I then clicked on Joe’s son Bill and then on Bill’s wife
Emily and saw that Emily and I had 1 mutual friend. When I read the name my
eyes could hardly believe what they were seeing. The mutual friend was a sweet girl I dated at
Bountiful High School back in 1986 Heidi Chamberlin, whom I have stayed in
contact with throughout all these years! How could this be possible since Emily
and Bill lived in Georgia, and Heidi lived in Seattle Washington? And how could
Heidi be friends with Emily and what was the connection? My mind was blown and
at this point I began to realize in my heart that there was a greater power intervening. I sent Heidi a message and this is what I
wrote,
February 9th,
Heidi’s reply,
February 9th
February 9th,
Hi Heidi! Hey, I have a favor I need
to ask of you. Long story short, and I can fill you in on the details later.
I’m not sure if you knew this about me but I was adopted. I have been trying to
find my birth mother for nearly 2 decades. After a lot of research and many
dead ends some new information just came to light and I have a new lead and
believe it or not you are a part of that. Crazy huh! I noticed that you have a
friend on FB by the name of Emily Heisterman Nicolich. Not sure how well you
know her but I saw that you liked a photo that she posed up yesterday so I’m
hopeful you know her. Now, its not confirmed but I believe that her husband
(Bill), his mother is my birthmother. Her name is Kristine (Kristy) Kindred
Nicolich. I’m not 100% sure, but the research I have done is pointing in this
direction. This is a really difficult situation because I don’t know for sure
if Kristy is my mother and I don’t know that if she actually is, if she ever
told any of her other children that she gave a child up for adoption. I don’t
want to cause any family problems, but at the same time maybe she did? I’m
trying to figure out the best way to try and establish contact and maybe
talking to Emily first before she talks to Bill may be the best way??? It’s a
little scary and nerve wracking. I’m sure Emily has no idea that Kristy gave a
child up for adoption and it most definitely is a touchy subject, but maybe she
can help me out. Anyway, if you would let me know if this is something you
think you might be able to help facilitate. You can even call me or email me
anytime.
I hope you and your girls are doing
fantastic! Best Thad
Hey Thad!
Wow, that's so exciting/scary/crazy! I
can't even imagine the emotional journey you have lived through in your search
for your mother.
I do know Emily! In fact, we're cousins. I haven't actually seen her in years, and I really don't know Bill. She's great though, and I can only assume she'd be super supportive and helpful in welcoming and getting to know you!
I do know Emily! In fact, we're cousins. I haven't actually seen her in years, and I really don't know Bill. She's great though, and I can only assume she'd be super supportive and helpful in welcoming and getting to know you!
Please let me know how I can best help
and what you'd like me to do. I'm available to talk/text/email or whatever
tonight or tomorrow during the day.
I hope you are able to find the
answers and peace you are looking for and add to your beautiful family!
Talk soon! ~Heidi
I followed up
with Heidi by asking her to send an email to Emily about my search, of which
she forwarded the following note for me,
February
10th,
Hello Emily,
I recently read the obituary about the
passing of your husband’s grandmother Iris Lynn Kindred. She sounds like she
was an amazing wonderful and talented woman. Her obituary was passed
on to me from my father. My name is Thad Robison and I was born November 5th
1968 in Payson Utah and was adopted to Jay and Ramona Robison through a woman
that I believe may be your mother in law, Kristine Kindred.
I am writing to you out of respect for
Kristy, your husband and your family as I do not wish to cause any emotional
distress and I’m not even 100% sure if I am following the correct lead. I have
been searching for information about my birth parents for quite some time,
nearly 20 years, and everything is pointing in this family direction. It is a
sensitive and emotional topic without a doubt.
If indeed I have found right family, I
would want to express my love and gratitude to Kristy for the sacrifice she
made in giving me an opportunity to grow up in a loving and supportive family.
Not only am I grateful for the courage and sacrifice she had to undertake at a
difficult time in her life, I have never been resentful. She placed me in the
arms of a loving mother and father who raised a boy to love his family and
father in heaven. I’m not sure If she would even want to know that I have
reached out to you, and I still question if I have reached the right family, or
if I’m doing the right thing, but if indeed I have then I would appreciate you
letting me know.
I would love to make contact with her,
but it obviously this is not something I would want to force. I am also worried
that Bill and Kristy’s other children (Amanda?) she raised with Joe may not
even know about my adoption. The last thing I would ever want in the world is
to bring a skeleton out of the closet and blind side the family.
If anything I would want to pass this
on from me to her.
There has been and always will be a
special place of love in my heart for her.
If Kristine does not feel comfortable
with establishing contact I understand. Some of the questions I have may be
able to be answered through you, for instance family medical history as I have
6 children of my own and I have never been able to answer questions regarding
past family medical history.
From what I have been told about
Kristy, she met my father while she was attending school in California. I have
also always wondered if I had other brothers or sisters and what they are like,
where they live, their lives their family’s. Do we like the same music, food,
movies. So many questions. It’s scary and exciting at the same time.
I currently reside in Salt Lake City
and you may contact me through my facebook page at any time or through my
email.
The irony is that I grew up and lived
in Bountiful literally straight up the road on 5th south from North Canyon Care
Center where Iris passed away. I’m sure Kristy was here in Utah last month for
her mother’s funeral.
Thank you for your time, and if I have
missed the mark and contacted the wrong family please accept my apologies. I
just don’t know where to go from this point. I thought the safest thing to do
would be to reach out to you.
Best wishes & regards
Thad
Emily’s reply, February 11th
Hello
Thad! My cousin Heidi speaks very highly of you. This is a crazy
scenario, but I'd love to try to help. First off, I should tell you that
Kristy is an amazing woman who I love dearly. She is, indeed my mother in
law, but a step mother in law. She married my husband's father roughly 12
years ago. So my husband, Bill and his siblings didn't grow up with her,
but have enjoyed a lovely relationship in their adult life. She does have
other children, all of whom are lovely people.
Before I go to her and ask her of this possibility, I would like to know how you have tracked your line to her. After hearing some more details, if we both still think the connection is a real possibility, I will help make introductions. I can't imagine what emotions you must be feeling at the thought of finally finding her. I truly wish you the best and will await your response.
Best wishes,
Emily Nicolich
Before I go to her and ask her of this possibility, I would like to know how you have tracked your line to her. After hearing some more details, if we both still think the connection is a real possibility, I will help make introductions. I can't imagine what emotions you must be feeling at the thought of finally finding her. I truly wish you the best and will await your response.
Best wishes,
Emily Nicolich
After a
couple more email exchanges two days later I received a call on February 13th
which went to my voicemail, It was Kristy.
As I listened to the message I heard my mothers voice for the first
time.
Oh you’re making me smile. This is
Kristy Kindred Nicolich. Dear Emily gave me your phone number and I had to
call. We should talk. Have a great day dear, bye.
Upon hearing
the message I was overcome by insurmountable emotion. My heart nearly leapt
from my chest and all I could do was cry. I called my wife Jennifer and all I
could say was “ I found her!” Over and over again. After taking some time to collect myself I
called Kristy and for the next hour we spoke and cried. I had finally found her. Many questions were
asked stories told and then I asked her if I had any brothers or sisters. She
said I did and that they were going to be thrilled about the news and that they
were already on their own journey to help Kristy find her son and their
brother. She told me their names, Lynnelle, Aaron and Heather and then she told
me they all knew about me. All I could do was cry again. I asked her if she
thought it would be okay for me to contact them and she said they would love to
hear from you. Messages were sent and a phone call took place later that
evening with my brother and sisters. Within minutes of the call I could feel a
bond so strong between us it was beyond words.
What has
transpired from that day can only be described as a miracle. It is as though
the years that have separated us vanished.
When I try to
explain to others what has just happened in my life I can only say this,
It was like I
had jumped out of an airplane with a parachute on my back. I did not know if I
was going to free fall for days months years or eventually hit the ground on my
search, but as things were put into motion I looked to my side I saw my jump
buddy and that person was God. He looked at me, gave a big smile and a thumbs
up and then the parachute opened. I know I was not alone on this journey.
A New Brother
This BLOG is to document the incredible story of our Family finding each other. We have done our very best to document things as accurately and time-related as possible.
The first story is Thad's ....As it should be, because ultimately, it is HIS diligence that created the possibility of this miracle at this time.
The second story is that of all of us on the other side.... his momma and his siblings. We have retold Thad's story applying our perspective. .sharing our experiences.
Throughout all of our stories lies an underlying theme of gratitude to God's grace. Trust in His timing and generosity. We all have the knowledge that the way this story unfolded and in what manner it will go forward is a gift from Him. We acknowledge this stewardship and we are Eternally grateful.
The first story is Thad's ....As it should be, because ultimately, it is HIS diligence that created the possibility of this miracle at this time.
The second story is that of all of us on the other side.... his momma and his siblings. We have retold Thad's story applying our perspective. .sharing our experiences.
Throughout all of our stories lies an underlying theme of gratitude to God's grace. Trust in His timing and generosity. We all have the knowledge that the way this story unfolded and in what manner it will go forward is a gift from Him. We acknowledge this stewardship and we are Eternally grateful.
Tuesday, March 3, 2015
A New Adventure Began in February 2015
Have you EVER WONDERED
what it would like to have a REAL experience that the movies are made of???
WELL GUESS WHAT??? WE just had one!! We just got ourselves a NEW brother!!
February 2015 was OUR
month of miracles and we want to share the story with YOU! So we set up a blog
to share the stories and pictures… BE READY…IT’s incredible, and the miracles
are ALL true!
To read the story go
to: www.KLATHAdventures.blogspot.com
(KLATH stands for
Kristy, Lynnelle, Aaron, Thad & Heather)
To find out more about
our AMAZING new brother, Thad Robison, go to:
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