Secret Daughter

I just read an amazing book called Secret Daughter by Shilpi Somaya Gowda.

This book just really hit home to me on a few different levels. So many things to relate to. Hope I don't give too much away :)

Its a story of a woman giving up her baby in rural India. For me, this part of the story allows me to relate to our birth mother. We don't have a referral yet - so we don't know what our story will be. But when i read this story i see the amazing love this mother has for her child. I see the determination for this child to live and thrive. I see the love this mother has for her child all of her life. She wonders every day how her child is and what she is doing - every day. Giving up your child is not a a thing done lightly. I wonder if our birth mother will ever be at peace knowing how her child is being raised. I hope so.

Its a story of an adoptive mother who yearns for a child. I have lived her pain. It was hard to read. It was part of my story - and so it was very real to me. It put into words what i have felt at one time or another. Its not totally my story- as my relationship with my husband has only been strengthened through this whole thing - a blessing for sure. But, to see in words what i have felt - a validation in a way - was very powerful to me.

Its a story of a child growing up in a an adoptive family and longing to know her past and who she is. And its painful and hard but its necessary to figure out. I want to be able to walk with our child along this difficult journey and be able to help them answer those tough questions in their lives.

It's also a trip to India. We work in India and i feel a connection there. What an eye opener into the country of India.

So, there you have it. A good read. Hope you might enjoy it too.