My father Julian had two children, Anne and David. Anne did not immediately contact her brother for she knew she was planning a trip to see her Mother in Virginia and David would also be there. She spoke with her and they decided to tell David when they were all together.
I did not hear from Anne until she returned a week later. Since her mother did not have a computer, Anne copied my story so she could show it her family. She said David read it several times and stayed a few extra days to ask questions. He was so excited to have a new half-sister.
If you read Chapter One of my story, you will recall I was told my grandfather in the early 1900’s had a falling out with his family and because of this never kept in contact with any family members. My Osborne Cousins family did have the opportunity to meet my father and his family in the 1960's. There are nine Osborne Cousins and no one realized until now that David has been living in Virginia and only a short distance from them.
After Anne returned home, David contacted Cousin Peter and made arrangements to have lunch with his family. Shortly afterwards, I received an e-mail from Peter saying he invited Anne & David to his home for Labor Day and Jim and I were welcome to join them. This would be the perfect opportunity to meet my newly found half-sister & brother, so we accepted..
I was thrilled and immediately made arrangements to visit Anne’s home in Connecticut before we traveled to Virginia for Labor Day.
We left Los Angeles on August 30th and arrived in Philadelphia so we could spend a couple days with our friends in Pennsylvania beforehand for it was an eight hour trip to Anne’s home. My special day arrived and since this was the first time we have been in this area, it took us a little longer to get there only taking two wrong exits off the expressway. Anne had been in contact with us acting as our Guide. Finally we arrived in Canton, CT to a beautiful new home Anne and her husband Bob finished last January.
My special moment came when Anne opened the door and greeted me as her long lost sister. She is wonderful. It was like a dream come true. Later we met her husband Bob and had a marvelous and relaxing dinner. I was so excited and wanted this day to last forever.
We had so much to talk about and I was amazed when Anne brought out boxes of pictures, letters and memorabilia belonging to her family. It was a thrill to learn so much about my father and actually to see some of the many commendations he received and read some of the letters he wrote to his mother during WWII. For two days, Anne and I looked at all the pictures and articles talking until the early hours of the morning. There was so much to see I felt it would take many days to completely read everything. It was a treasure I found and wished we were staying longer. While I was at Anne's
I spoke with my half-brother David and made arrangements to meet for dinner when we arrived.
After three days we left for Virginia, only to get lost on the belt-loop outside Washington, DC. Anne and Bob planned to fly to Virginia as Bob had to return early and Anne was to stay an extra Day. When we arrived we had dinner with David. His first words to me were, “I have been waiting so long to meet you”. He looked so much like our father Julian. Now all my dreams have been fulfilled.
On Labor Day all the Osborne Cousins were reunited. There were lots of stories to tell and Peter showed us the Family Tree that dated back to Thomas Osborne's arrival in Virginia in 1619. The reunion between Anne, David and our cousins was a special moment for everyone.
The following day Anne, David and I went to Arlington Cemetery to visit our father’s grave. It meant a lot to us to be here together. We spent the day touring the area. Later, it was difficult to say our goodbyes for we were all traveling in different directions the next day.
We have kept in touch with one another and look forward to the day when we can be together again.
I now has the love of a newly found half-sister and brother and feel truly blessed. Many pictures were taken which you can view on our pictorial journey. Please join us...
