What I Know

I was born Amy Elizabeth Thames on Wednesday, April 10, 1974 at 5:30 p.m. at Ventura County Hospital in Ventura, CA, to Frances Louise Lee and Edward Elwood Thames, both 20 years old. My father goes by Ted Thames, and is an architect living in Texas. That much I know.

What I don't know is why my parents were no longer together by the time I was born.
I don't know why my father has not been a part of my life.....for 33 years.
I don't know the Thames family, though I have met a few of them before.
I don't know my two half sisters.
I don't know my uncle and my aunt.
I don't know my cousin.
But I know that I have two half sisters, an aunt and uncle and a cousin.
I don't know if my sisters and cousin know who I am.
I don't know if certain looks my son gets that I don't recognize are really a Thames family trait that I'm oblivious to.
I don't know if finding out the answers to these questions will break my heart or help me find a sense of peace I've been missing all my life.

What I do know is that the journey must begin. Inspired by Adrian Grenier's self-directed "Shot in the Dark," an HBO film documenting the search for his estranged father, I realize now that the desire to know who you are and where you come from is more than just semantics. Who I come from is an emotional exploration that most people are blessed enough to undertake every day of their lives. My journey starts 33 years, ten months and two days late. But it's starting.