What a great trip we had. I’m still processing all this emotional stuff, so I haven’t been blogging much. I’m finding it a bit hard to express what I feel right now. All I know is that its positive, but being someone who doesn’t do emotional well this is fairly overwhelming.

If you’re not bored already there’s more here (Pauly and the zookeeper should look again.

Voices with questions that used to haunt me are now quiet; gonzo; no more; titso… The silence in my noggin is deafening, but that’s a good thing. I feel a freedom I didn’t know existed.

The visit turned out better than I could have ever imagined. I am a very blessed man. Now I have an even more extended family. My life just gets richer and richer. I wish I could be closer so I could spend more time with them. Anyone have $11 million US they can give me? Private Island for Sale in Nova Scotia. Dianne says she just may come to Vancouver in October (which would rock). We’ll see.

What have I learned? I now know what most other people have known most of their lives:

- I was born at 7:44 AM on Ausgust 5th, 1969 after two hours of labour weighing 7 lbs 6 ozs. I was the biggest of all three of Dianne’s boys (now the smallest, but still the oldest, sorry J-P). I knew the weight and date before but never the time nor info regarding Dianne’s labour. Just a litle Mike Browne trivia: While pregnant with me Dianne dated Myles Goodwin, who went on to fame and fortune as the lead singer of April Wine later on that year. Kind of cool…

Now for some pictures.

Dianne gave me the above photo her friend (who now is suffering from Alzheimers Disease) took of me just days old. The picture is the only likeness of me she had for 36 years. Too bad digital didn’t exist then, I bet it would have been more than just my nostrils in the shot. I was floored by her giving me this and my hospital bracelet below. Wow! She told me that she has me in her life now so she can let go of them. How cool is that?

The title is “Mrs” on the bracelet as in 1969 to have a child out of wedlock was a taboo in NS. I’m glad those days are in the past for the most part.

When Dianne came to Bridgewater and met Mom and Dad she brought us gifts – handcarved sculptures by Demdaco: New Life for Mom and Dad and Angel of Mine for me (pictured above). Carol got some cool origami paper and books. It’s like a scene from Blade Runner around the house with all the little animals and things showing up since Carol took up her new hobby. The boat did look shitty hon, sorry. I’m not sure what Dianne gave Rachel because I was so enamored with the figurine I got… d’oh. Thanks DNA Mom!

I’m a lucky dude. Still no word on my birth-father, James Pyke, and perhaps maybe never. I know it’s different for men then it is women and I’m not sure he even wants to meet me. I think I’ll just let this end of things sink in before pursuing that one any further. I’d explode right now if I had any more to take in.

Lookie! It’s Dianne, me and Phil my half brother.

On Sunday we went to Truro to meet brother Phil and some more family. We met at brother J-P and wife Andrea’s place for some food and chit chat. Andrea sure has her hands full with Max and Carlie (two great kids) while J-P is working in Alberta. There were so many people to meet I hope I have them all in somewhat flattering poses.

Here’s Auntie Carol and Max. He was fascinated with her camera as apparently he is with most gadgetry. He’ll no doubt be an engineer.

Half-sister-in-law Andrea and niece Carlie. Andrea loves her kids. Easy to see why, they’re so cute.

Dianne and her best pal (who’s extremely cool) Martina who just so happens to be a former RCMP officer, but we won’t hold that against her. Hehe! It was Martina’s birthday the day before. Happy birthday Martina!

Phil and his girlfriend and second birthday girl, Michelle. They were off to goth night in Halifax last night. We were sad we weren’t invited, but maybe next time. Michelle’s writing her thesis on Edgar Allen Poe. Boo scary! I love Poe, so she can stay.

We had a great time. I can’t wait to see everyone again.

I spent the day with Dianne, my birth mother, yesterday. Above is the first picture of us together after 36 years.

We had a pleasant day ‘catching up’ on 36 years of what’s happening and I enjoyed looking at her family photos. We met her co-workers (more like family and friends if you ask me), went to New Minas, a.k.a. New Mindless, to get birthday cakes for upcoming events and then watched Boondock Saints (she loves movies as much as I do) and just talked and talked. I couldn’t have asked for a better day. She gave me the photo a friend of hers sneakily took of me in the hospital just days old, my hospital bracelet, a copy of the ‘letter of apprehension’ from my adoption and the letter given her by the social worker once I had been placed with Mom and Dad.

More after the jump. —->

Dianne’s co-workers turned out to be such nice women and very excited for Dianne and I. Thanks for making me feel so welcome.

Here’s Dianne and I in front of the big apple on the lawn of the town hall in Berwick where Dianne works.

So far so good. BBQ here in Bridgewater today at the Browne estate. More pictures to follow.

Arrived at 10:42 pm here in NS last night. Drove our fancy schmancy Buick Renedezvous like a crazy person to get to Mom and Dad’s place here and crashed out. Slept like a log and now it’s time to blog. Photos and more updates are on the way.

Here we come. The next few hours see us packing, sleeping, riding, flying and driving… how exciting. I’m feeling rather verklemt. Off to Nova Scotia to meet more family. Friday is the big day. Dianne and I have a lot of catching up to do; 36 years worth. I’m going to her place to meet, then she’s taking me to meet her friends and co-workers and then its dinner on me.

Expect blogging and photos. Dad finally has a computer so I don’t even have to take my laptop. Wish us luck…

Today I got a package in the mail from my birth-mom, Dianne. Strangely enough I knew who it was from when the postman buzzed to tell me there was a package waiting for me downstairs. Other than the huge gift she gave me in the form of the life I’ve had we have never been able to exchange gifts until now. I wonder what’s in it?

The coolest gift ever. Birthday cards – 36 of them! The post-it on the front of the first envelope says, “Dear Mike, Here are some cards for the birthdays I missed with you” At the top right of each envelope is the date from August 5, 1970 (my first birthday) until August 5, 2005 (tomorrow) and all but the latest are addressed simply to “Son” with the latest being addressed to “My Son Mike!” Upon opening, each card bears a brief note on Dianne’s well wishes, feelings, questions, hopes and dreams for me at the time of each year’s birthday with a brief update on her life over the year gone by.

The last card, the one for this year has a bit of cash in it, but I’m not sure I want to spend it on anything trivial. Perhaps I’ll get something that reminds me of this whole process. Until I figure it out the dough stays in the card.

Thanks Dianne. This means a lot.

I have a few minutes so now’s the time to post some pictures of my mother’s side of my birth family. We’ll start with her.

This is Dianne my birth mother on the right and her best friend Martina on the left. There’s more photos after you click the link —->

This is Dianne on a tourbus in France (obviously) with her God-daughter Chelsea. They went to Europe to visit Dianne’s mother’s family in Amsterdam and other places. Looks like they had a great time. I love Paris and want to go back.

My eldest half brother, J-P (who I look a bit like), with his wife Andrea and their first child Max (check out Max’s website for a load more photos). I can’t believe I’m an uncle. Wow!

A more recent photo of Max. Too cute for words.

This is Carlie, the most recent addition to J-P and Andrea’s little clan. I’m an uncle twice! (Carlie’s website has more photos too).

Half brother Phil and a little Max. Phil is a blogger too. We think he looks a little like Ricky from The Trailer Park Boys. Not at all an insult as we do love TPB. Heck, I look kind of like Bubbles. Check out the ultra-dirty Bubbles soundboard (you need Flash).

I can’t wait much longer to go back and meet these folks. Now that Dad has a computer with that high falutin’ new fangled interweb thingymabob I’ll be able to blog some photos from there without too much difficulty. Yeehaw! I think we’ll head out before the end of the month, maybe sooner.

I was having trouble sleeping early this morning, but fell back to sleep. I suspected something was going to happen today and it has. Upon awakening at 8:00am I found I had received an email from my birth mother, Dianne, who lives in Berwick, Nova Scotia.

Dianne sent me all of her contact information and a link to pictures of her and my half-brothers from JP’s website for his cute as pie son and daughter (the eldest half-brother who I look a bit like). I’m not sure yet if they’re cool with me posting their pictures here, but when I get the go ahead you’ll see them too. Apparently I’m most like my youngest half-brother, Phil, who’s artsy and a blogger too. You can count on a link as soon as I get it.

Late this afternoon we finally connected over the phone. What a wonderful phone call. I am so grateful I have been able to start in this direction at all. It has taken some doing to get up the nerve to begin this whole process but with the experience I’m having so far I’m looking forward fearlessly to more.

I felt a connection right away and our conversation was a mind blower to say the least. She seems like such a cool person. The more I learn about Dianne and her (my birth) family the more connected to planet Earth I feel in a way I never have before. I’m not an alien (as far as I know to this point) as I have suspected. There are others ‘like’ me.

Being a product of the 60′s as I am now so sure about explains my bent toward hippidom and that, ahem, lifestyle. Dianne is proud that I’m a Beatles fan and not an Elvis man.

On a really interesting note, Dianne’s mother, my biological grandmother, the war bride from Amsterdam, came from a family that was Jewish and converted to Protestant when the Nazi’s started their insanity before and during WW2. Most of the family is ‘just gone’ as a result of Hitler’s final solution. The one 80+ year old great aunt (who still drives) did survive the war although in a concentration camp and will not go to Germany to this day. That makes me a quarter Jew. Oi! Who knew? I always suspected on a deep level and have even discussed it with Carol prior to knowing as I have felt a special affinity to the Jewish people for as long as I can remember. Now I know why.

I’m looking forward to more contact and meeting this whole new ‘side’ of the family. My biological father may be a different story. I know his name now and will start poking around. I’m not going to hold my breath or plan any kind of result. We’ll see how it plays out. I’m just glad to be having this experience at all. Keep praying for me.

Upon arriving home absolutely bushed from ‘Fire Mountain’ I had a special delivery letter waiting for me on my desk. I knew immediately what it was even before reading the info on it. When I opened it I saw I did contain the biographical letter I have been expected from my birth mother and the form (I will send tomorrow over night delivery) for direct contact approval by me. The information I read has me reeling. Although very emotional I feel extremely positive about continuing on toward making contact with my birth mother. It has taken me until this point today to feel together enough to write a bit about it.

A lot of the letter I’d like to keep private, medical information and some personal feelings, but I’ll give you all the general low down and now some specifics. As every adopted child hopes that someone out there misses them, my birth mother misses me still. Its actually comforting in a strange and totally self-centered way. She did worry about me and whether she had made the right decision. Its a gift to be able to share with her the wonderful childhood I did have to ease her fears.

What have I learned?
- My birth parents never married and have no contact (I guess I’ll find more out later)
- My birth mother did marry an RCMP officer but divorced 15 years ago
- I have two younger half-brothers, JP (John-Paul) who is moving to Alberta to work in the oil fields with his wife and son and new daughter (call me uncle Mike), and Phil who has a degree in Theatre Arts and has acted in various plays (Surprise! Another actor in the family)
- My maternal grandmother, recently deceased, was a war bride from Amsterdam so I have family there, in Belgium and England
- My birth mother is an accounting/payroll clerk at the town hall where she lives, she is also executive secretary and a volunteer firefighter for the local fire department. (I have also done this)
- She loves to laugh, read science fiction, watch movies and listens to classic rock and heavy metal (all things I like too!)

I finally know that I was born at 7:44 am (I always knew the date [August 5, 1969] just not the time) and that I spent three days with my birth mother and that her friend smuggled a camera into the hospital for her to take my picture at 1 day old which she still has!

Finally, she had named me Chrstopher Jude and, as I had suspected ever since I found out, the Beatles song, Hey Jude, was and I quote, “my inspiration and a way of keeping the special memory of you in my heart”.

As you can see. So far so good. I am feeling emotions I’ve never felt before so I don’t even know what to call them yet…

Bear with me.

Holy shit! I got a phone call from Paula Murrin at the Nova Scotia Community Services Adoption Disclosure branch two days ago. I called back, left a message and finally got another call this morning. It was good news! Paula has been in contact with my birth mother and she is very positive about exchanging information with the hope of that leading to a reunion of some kind. I got pretty misty hearing what Paula had to say about the phone call especially that I have two younger (I presume) half-brothers who also know I exist. Also interesting is that I was not a ‘secret’ as my birth mother’s ex-husband also knew of me. I’m not sure if he is my birth father or not, but I assume not. My birth mother told Paula that she had worried a lot about where I was and how things were for me (Pretty damned good actaully!) and that she had waited for more than 35 years ‘for this day’.

The next step is to await a letter and picture from my birth mother along with a consent form for direct contact and the exchange of identifying information from NS Community Services. I’m so excited the waiting is going to kill me. However, the length of the process is good as it is easing everyone involved toward a resloution slowly rather than at blazing speed, which is my tendancy. I’ve waited almost 36 years, what’s another few weeks?

Already I’m feeling relieved a) that contact is coming b) that the experience is so far positive and c) I have some concrete information namely the fact that there’s more family to meet! I think I’m a little in shock that things are actually happening too. I honestly didn’t expect to hear anything this soon. I am so glad its been good news to this point. I guess the glass really is half full.

Being the creative and dark individual that I am I had every crazy scenario possible about my genetic relatives worked out in my head over the years. I think being adopted has helped me to become the imaginative nut bag I am. I’ve always had to wonder about who I look like, walk like and talk like etc. My birth family is has been merely guesswork in my noodle until this point. Now that they are becoming a firm reality I can put that wonderful speculative tool I’ve developed over the years to work doing something else. Watch out world. Here I come!