Garth: A Midlife Discovery Exposes the Truth of Self
01/24/23 • 65 min
Given up at birth, placed in foster care, then adopted by a military family, Garth Garrett grew up always knowing he was adopted. He thought being adopted was no big deal - like being left-handed in a right-handed family and that his lingering sense of longing stemmed from the nomadic life of an Army brat. Only upon starting therapy in mid-life did he discover that adoption was actually the central issue of his life, including his own alienation from his own feelings. His multiple searches for each biological parent yielded information, more heartbreak, two more rejections by his biological mother, and ultimately a deep, happy connection with his biological sisters and a renewed sense of family with his adoptive sisters. Garth recently retired after 31 years with L.A. Metro.
Also in this episode, Sarah and Louise discuss A.M. Homes' The Mistress's Daughter.
If you'd like to read along with Sarah and Louise, go here: The Mistress's Daughter by A.M. Homes
Thank you to our sponsor S12F.
If you want to support our show, you can go to our Patreon Page.
Thank you to our current Patreon donors for their support.
Our Patrons are: Laura Christensen, Barbara Frank, Ramona Evans, Linda Pevac, Blonde Records, Denise Cruz-Castino, Daphne Keys, Denise Hewitt, Michelle Styles, Emily Sinagra, Linda David, John Frey, Eric David, Beth Figuls, Ron Schneider, Tony Corsentino, Kristi Reed, Kristen Steinhilber, Jane Bofenkamp, Kelley Brickfield, Sandra de Quesada, The Harpy,
Kristan Higgin, Lisa Thompson, Michelle Goodwine, Jesper Laursen, Julie Malone, Rivi Shocket and Robert Perrino.
If you'd like to support the show, you can do it here: https://www.patreon.com/themakingofmepodcast
To support the show - Patreon.
To support the show - Patreon.
Given up at birth, placed in foster care, then adopted by a military family, Garth Garrett grew up always knowing he was adopted. He thought being adopted was no big deal - like being left-handed in a right-handed family and that his lingering sense of longing stemmed from the nomadic life of an Army brat. Only upon starting therapy in mid-life did he discover that adoption was actually the central issue of his life, including his own alienation from his own feelings. His multiple searches for each biological parent yielded information, more heartbreak, two more rejections by his biological mother, and ultimately a deep, happy connection with his biological sisters and a renewed sense of family with his adoptive sisters. Garth recently retired after 31 years with L.A. Metro.
Also in this episode, Sarah and Louise discuss A.M. Homes' The Mistress's Daughter.
If you'd like to read along with Sarah and Louise, go here: The Mistress's Daughter by A.M. Homes
Thank you to our sponsor S12F.
If you want to support our show, you can go to our Patreon Page.
Thank you to our current Patreon donors for their support.
Our Patrons are: Laura Christensen, Barbara Frank, Ramona Evans, Linda Pevac, Blonde Records, Denise Cruz-Castino, Daphne Keys, Denise Hewitt, Michelle Styles, Emily Sinagra, Linda David, John Frey, Eric David, Beth Figuls, Ron Schneider, Tony Corsentino, Kristi Reed, Kristen Steinhilber, Jane Bofenkamp, Kelley Brickfield, Sandra de Quesada, The Harpy,
Kristan Higgin, Lisa Thompson, Michelle Goodwine, Jesper Laursen, Julie Malone, Rivi Shocket and Robert Perrino.
If you'd like to support the show, you can do it here: https://www.patreon.com/themakingofmepodcast
To support the show - Patreon.
To support the show - Patreon.
Previous Episode
From Happiness to Despair and Back Again
Daphne Keys is a BSE adoptee born and raised in Maryland as the middle child between two brothers who are the biological children of her adoptive parents. Daphne always knew she was adopted, had access to the minimal non-identifying information provided at her adoption hearing, and always searched the faces of her community for a connection to her biological family.
Married for forty years, Daphne is the mother of four adult children and grandmother of eleven. Daphne did not realize the impact her adoption had on her ability to bond with and parent her own children until coming out of the fog after beginning a reunion with her biological family at age fifty-six.
Daphne’s reunion with her birth mother’s family has been a wild ride from the pinnacle of happiness to the depths of despair. An avid reader, Daphne turned to the experts such as Betty Jean Lifton and Nancy Verrier to help her along her reunion journey. At the suggestion of her biological Aunt, Daphne turned to writing to help her process her feelings and is still working on a memoir. Along the way, Daphne
also began quilting and has found this very therapeutic. After all, she has been putting her pieces back together in various patterns, her entire life.
Also in this episode, Sarah and Louise discuss A.M. Homes' The Mistress's Daughter.
If you'd like to read along with Sarah and Louise, go here: The Mistress's Daughter by A.M. Homes
If you want to support our show, you can go to our Patreon Page.
Thank you to our current Patreon donors for their support.
Our Patrons are: Laura Christensen, Barbara Frank, Ramona Evans, Linda Pevac, Blonde Records, Denise Cruz-Castino, Daphne Keys, Denise Hewitt, Michelle Styles, Emily Sinagra, Linda David, John Frey, Eric David, Beth Figuls, Ron Schneider, Tony Corsentino, Kristi Reed, Kristen Steinhilber, Jane Bofenkamp, Kelley Brickfield, Sandra de Quesada, The Harpy,
Kristan Higgin, Lisa Thompson, Michelle Goodwine, Jesper Laursen, Julie Malone, Rivi Shocket and Robert Perrino.
If you'd like to support the show, you can do it here: https://www.patreon.com/themakingofmepodcast
To support the show - Patreon.
To support the show - Patreon.
Next Episode
Ruth: A Mother Searches for a Mother
Ruth Bendig is a “Baby Scoop Era” domestic adoptee. The oldest of her adoptive
parents' three children, she and her brothers were all relinquished as infants and raised in the Midwest.
Becoming a mother jump-started a desire to learn more about her biological history.
WIth the support and encouragement of her adoptive parents she began to search, first through the state, then, when that proved to be a dead end, through DNA testing. She is now in reunion with siblings and cousins on both sides of her biological family.
Also in this episode, Sarah and Louise discuss A.M Homes' The Mistress's Daughter.
If you'd like to read along with Sarah and Louise, go here: The Mistress's Daughter by A.M. Homes
Thank you to our sponsor S12F.
If you want to support our show, you can go to our Patreon Page.
Thank you to our current Patreon donors for their support.
Our Patrons are: Laura Christensen, Barbara Frank, Ramona Evans, Linda Pevac, Blonde Records, Denise Cruz-Castino, Daphne Keys, Denise Hewitt, Michelle Styles, Emily Sinagra, Linda David, John Frey, Eric David, Beth Figuls, Ron Schneider, Tony Corsentino, Kristi Reed, Kristen Steinhilber, Jane Bofenkamp, Kelley Brickfield, Sandra de Quesada, The Harpy,
Kristan Higgin, Lisa Thompson, Michelle Goodwine, Jesper Laursen, Julie Malone, Rivi Shocket , Robert Perrino and Colleen McCall.
If you'd like to support the show, you can do it here: https://www.patreon.com/themakingofmepodcast
To support the show - Patreon.
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