My parents were wonderful, and I am so glad he and his brother got to know their grandparents, because all four of my grandparents had passed before I was born in 1947. He was a joy as a baby, and is still a joy at the soon-to-be-age of 58. I am so proud of him. He just spent the weekend here with me and his younger brother.
Here is a story I found out years after the death of my Grandmother. Shortly before he died, my oldest uncle told the family:
She became pregnant out of wedlock. My Grandfather, not the baby’s father, offered to marry her. She said no. She gave birth and gave the baby up for adoption. As it turned out, the baby was adopted by one of her neighbors!
About a year later, my Grandfather proposed again. She accepted. The girl grew up near them and her adopting parents found out. They decided to keep the information secret until the kids grew up. The girl grew up knowing my Grandmother and being close to her.
When she became an adult, the adopting parents told her the truth. She had suspected something but told them THEY were her true parents. But she also loved my Grandmother. About a decade later, she told my uncle and he confirmed it with his parents. They all decided to keep it quiet.
In their 60s, my uncle and the lady told some of the rest of the family. After the lady died, my uncle told the rest. Turns out all the rest suspected something but didn’t want to pry. And my aunts and uncles all liked the lady and she had remained lifelong friends with them.
BTW, my Grandma had her first pregnancy around 1910! And as one of my aunts commented, it really was not that uncommon back then!
Sally Fields DID have other choices, as you noted! Choices that could have brought a lot of joy into the world.
And thank you for YOUR choice!