Tag: monday

Family, Opinion, Relationships

Found My Half Sibling

cloepottorff

For many people, finding a long lost relative can be challenging and an emotional journey. I have my own story that I’d like to share because it has been life changing. 

My biological dad has never been in the picture since I was about 2 years old. So when my mom was dealing with some issues she came across some information that didn’t make sense to her. Under my fathers name it showed he had two children. My mom looked up the other baby and found out I had a half brother a year and a half younger than me. So when I was three she found some information of the mother to the child. My mom worked at getting in touch with the boy’s mother and when she did, the other lady didn’t want us to contact them again because she was remarrying and didn’t want her son to know her husband wasn’t his father. 

Fast forward about 17 years, my mom and I are talking about getting in touch with him again because he would be 18 years old now. We didn’t know where to start, so I figured best bet would be a Facebook search. Entered his name and up came 6892 matches. This seemed like an impossible task but we decided we would take turns going through each profile looking for someone that possibly resembled myself. Hours passed and then days. On the third day, I got home from work and my mom is standing there smiling. “I think I found him!” My mom rushed me to the computer and showed me the profile she thought was it. I click on the profile picture and he is tall, thin and in a military uniform. It was like looking at a male version of myself. I think I found him. My mind was racing. 

I waited a full day before I took my chances and send a message to the guy I believed to be my half brother. It was a few hours before I received a response. He was so unsure of everything because he had never heard of me but he did know his father was not the one that raised him. So we talked for a few hours, sharing information and finally came to the conclusion that we were half siblings. I had found him!


This started our crazy but wonderful sibling relationship. We talk every single week and really want to plan meeting up. It has just been difficult since he is in the Air Force and I’ve got kids now. But we share so much in common and I couldn’t imagine not having him in my life now. 

So for anyone out there looking for someone, don’t give up hope. I thought it would be impossible but through some tough digging, it was accomplished. Perseverance is what makes miracles happen. 


Share your story below or let me know if you are looking for someone. 💜
By perseverance the snail reached the ark. -Charles Spurgon 

Advice/Tips, Opinion

Motivation Monday #2 – Turn a Negative into a Positive

cloepottorff

Everyone has had a bad day before. Whether the cause was someone else’s or our own, we have all had something happen that makes us mad, sad, frustrated or defeated. That’s ok, we are all human and that’s part of a human experience. However, it’s not ok to stop and settle into that feeling or mood. There is always a positive that can come from a negative, always. 


Most situations that put us in a bad mood can easily be deflected if we just change our mindset. They way we think really does affect our daily lives. Positive thinking and acting attracts other positive behaviors and actions. 


I made a short list of some things to incorporate into your daily life to gain more positivity. 

  1. Express gratitude-showing gratitude increases the value of what you do have
  2. Be optimistic-optimism grows endless opportunities
  3. Avoid social comparison-everyone is different, everyone has different strengths. Focus on you, what you think of yourself is all that matters
  4. Learn to forgive-It will set you free from resentment and you can move forward
  5. Practice kindness-Being selfless creates such a strong feel good feeling and makes you happy to have made a difference
  6. Enjoy the small things-You can’t truly enjoy life unless you take time to relish in the small things. Sunsets, stars, laughter, snow falling. 
  7. Take care of your body-When you feel your best, you become the best version of you. 


Now, here are some of my own personal experiences that started out as negatives but I turned them into positives. 

  1. A family members death-I can comfort others in similar situations.  Also, I now strive to make a difference and make the deceased proud of me. 
  2. Parents divorce-I can relate and help others going through parents divorce. I learned what not to do in a marriage. 
  3. Struggle financially-I learned that not all outing and adventures need to be bought(i.e. Disneyland, movies)
  4. Assaulted-Learned to stand up for myself and that abuse is not deserved. I can relate and help others in similar situations as well. 
  5. Anxiety-Learned what makes me happy and I do more things like journaling, painting and reading to de-stress

I hope that now when you are having just one of those days, you take a minute to be grateful for what you have and to change that negative into a positive! 😉

If you have any comments or questions, feel free to comment below and I will respond 😊👍