After 27 years, my brother finally got to spend a week getting to know his big sister and little nephew. We were thrilled to have him visit us and show him around DC. We got to take in many of the sites, and do fun things that we have missed out on all these years. It was an incredible, life-altering experience, that will last with me forever, but I understand that to fully process what just happened will take some time. My situation is perhaps a bit extreme, but many of us in our lifetime will have an incredibly emotional experience that will require us to slow down from our normal routine way of life in order to allow our brains to think through our feelings and any new information gleaned from the situation at hand. It is sadly my experience that men do not allow themselves much time to decompress. Most men I know simply unwind by watching a movie in silence or vegging out in front of the tv. Meanwhile, women are much better about planning trips to the spa, a Girls Night Out with friends, making time to go to the gym, write in a journal or just pull out a box of tissues and have a good cry. But, in relationships with men, they often want [...]

One of my friends told me the other day how much he admired my courage in sharing my story about finding my family. Without hesitating, I responded that it had nothing to do with courage-- to me there is no other justification for the long and difficult journey I had to travel unless I could live to tell the tale and hopefully inspire others in their own lives.Throughout life what I have enjoyed the most are people's stories. You have all taught me so much by sharing your experiences with me. Granted, in my professional life, I hear some of the sadest tales ever, and yet I am filled with hope as my clients manage to put the past behind them, overcome their sorrows, and look to the future with the promise of better days ahead. I think my own father said it best, "life is not easy, but you have to keep fighting." Recently, my own brother told me the same thing. In order to find the strength to keep moving forward, sometimes we all need a little help and inspiration. I used to think I had to be a self-sufficient island, but I have humbly learned these past few years that I cannot do everything alone. We need each other-- both to share in moments of joy and [...]

I have previously stated how life in my 30's has been full of bittersweet moments. To be honest, these kinds moments have occurred ever since I went off to boarding school at age 14. I was so excited to go to Andover, yet sad to leave home-- especially my grandmother. Each graduation thereafter was marked with sadness at the thought of leaving my beloved learning institutions, even as I was enjoying the sense of accomplishment with the receipt of each new diploma. When I got married, I was happy, but also nervous, and the same was true when I had my son, with each new job, etc. But for the first time in ages, I've been given a moment of shear bliss-- after all these years, I have finally connected with my brother.It is hard to imagine what it must be like for a 27 year old man to learn all of sudden that he has a half sister across the Atlantic. All of the sudden, just when he probably thought he had things figured out, I have entered his life and made him an uncle in the process. Having had just 2 months to digest this news, as we developed our connection via emails, Skype and Facebook, he then took the biggest leap of faith any man has ever [...]