Faith, I occassionally help adopted people who want to make contact with their birth families. Lunaloba has given you good advice. I prefer the letter route because it gives the person a time to adjust. One minor addition, you might want to mention that you too were estranged from your father's family as that will be in common. A self-addressed, stamped envelope is a good way to prevent your uncle's procrastinating in responding. Good luck! Nancy -----Original Message----- From: lunaloba [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Tuesday, November 02, 1999 7:48 AM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [GEN-UNSOLVED-MYSTERIES] Lemaster Faith, I empathize with your situation. Perhaps you or a third party could contact this man by mail, explaining who you are and offering him the opportunity to contact you. Or you could do this yourself. A letter is less invasive and demands no immediate response like a phone call does. It also provides a safe distance from which to communicate at first. Before you contact him, you need to be really honest with yourself about what you want from him, and you must be prepared for the possibility that he may not want contact. You need to be aware that he may have had a very different life than your father and his siblings. While he may be family, he may not share your values or lifestyle. Please do not be alone with him until you know him well. You sound like a thoughtful, sensitive person. I'd say he'd be lucky to have you for a niece! Good luck in your search. Lunaloba ==== GEN-UNSOLVED-MYSTERIES Mailing List ==== To unsubscribe from digest mode, send a NEW message to [email protected] In the body of the message, put the word "unsubscribe" (no quotes).