The Ache of the Unknown

It’s been a minute since I last wrote here. Life and work have been beautifully full—manuscripts from our authors at Janine Chellington Press have kept me busy, and new clients are on the horizon. The next two months will bring some truly big moments for them, and watching their words find their way into the world fills me with such gratitude.

But amid all that creative energy, something deeply personal stirred recently—something that pulled me back into the world of discovery and family history that has always fascinated me.

A couple of weeks ago, my maternal first cousin’s Ancestry DNA results arrived. It reminded me that he had once connected through 23andMe with a newfound cousin on his paternal side—someone who had been adopted and was searching for their birth mother.

Auto Clustering Tool, Ancestry

That’s when my “find-out-ologist” instincts kicked in. Research runs deep in my veins—it’s how Adopting the Forgotten and The Sagacity Stories were born—out of long nights chasing clues, following faint trails, and breathing life into forgotten names. So naturally, I took another look at my cousin’s family tree. Also, adding in Ancestry's Pro Tools including the auto clustering tool.

Before long, I’d roped in my genealogy bestie, MJ. We have what we call “talk-it-out” sessions—those moments when you need another mind to trace the puzzle with you. “Did you check this source?” “Could this marriage record connect here?” Sometimes, two heads are better than one to follow the breadcrumbs.

Our search took us across the country. The birth mother we were looking for had served in the military and married more than once—her story scattered in pieces, waiting to be gathered. Within just a few days, the branches began to intertwine. Connections formed. Names aligned. A story began to emerge, giving the adoptee long-awaited answers about the woman who brought them into the world.

But facts—names, dates, and places—can only tell part of the story. They don’t speak to the heartbeat of a life lived. This birth mother had no obituary, no written remembrance. So, we’re now reaching out to other relatives, hoping they’ll respond with kindness and help us piece together the fuller story of who she was.

This journey stirred something deep within me. My heart always leans toward empathy for those who live with unanswered questions about their origins. My own family carried such mysteries across generations, especially surrounding my great-grandfather’s adoption. I understand that ache—the why that lingers, the quiet yearning to know where you come from, who your people were, and what threads of them live in you.

Even when an adoptee has known love and belonging, there’s often still that pull—a desire to understand the roots beneath the life that bloomed.

Because everyone, in one way or another, has a story waiting to be found.

Discover more amazing stories in our books at Janine Chellington Press!