My Best Discovery: My Paternal Side

by Yoshaka R. Love
(Houston, Texas)

After being away from my father for the first 27 years of my life due to situations and circumstances, I reconnected with him and met my grandmother(his mother) and my great- grandmother(his grandmother.)

With amazement, my grandmother knew about me all along but had no idea where and when we left Texas. It was in December of 1992.

I also met my half-siblings that I never knew, because I was raised as the only child my mother had.

My mother did an outstanding job raising me but there was always a longing for meeting, seeing and hugging my dad. I had always wanted to relocate back to Texas as long as I can remember, and I made it happen 9 years ago.

I started doing my family research over 10 years ago on both sides; and I have found so much info, yet some of it was limited.

But I have my great-grandma to thank before she passed in 1999 and it took off from there. Now the only other part that was missing was my father's father's side.

It was a very touchy subject with my grandmother, and she didn't want to elaborate about it. But my dad told me his name, and I researched and found that he (my grandfather) came from a very large family outside of Temple, TX.

But to make a long story short I just found out that they (Father's father family) have an annual family reunion every year for the past 35 years.

I went for the first time two years ago and they welcomed me with wide opened arms. I've been in touch with them since then and it's like we already knew each other for years.