WAITING FOR THE RIGHT TIME

'Waiting for this moment'By THERESA HOGUEGazette-Times reporter
SCOBEL WIGGINS Gazette-TimesSeason Forbush of Olympia, Wash., was overjoyed when she found her birth mother, Rebecca Roach of Philomath. Mom had been waiting more than 20 years for the phone call that would reunite.

At age 25, Season Forbush meets her birth motherPHILOMATH — Rebecca Roach always knew that her daughter would come back to her one day. When she had a baby girl at age 19, she made the difficult decision to place her up for adoption through the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-day Saints, knowing that she couldn’t provide a stable home and two parents for her newborn.
It was the right decision, she knew then, despite the tiny fingers that wrapped around her own.“She was so beautiful,” Roach said.But although she was saying goodbye, Roach instinctively knew that one day, her daughter would seek her out. And she would be ready to greet her with open arms.That day came in May 2006, when Roach’s stepmother called to relay a strange message she’d just received from a young woman who called the house.“She wanted to get a hold of me, because of ‘something about being a daughter,’ ” Roach said. As soon as she heard the message, Roach knew exactly what was about to happen. She was about to hear her daughter’s voice for the first time.She called the number her stepmother had given her, and Season Forbush answered the phone. Forbush hesitantly told her that Roach’s name was on her birth certificate.“I couldn’t breathe,” Roach said. “I’d been waiting for this moment forever.”In a rush of emotion and excitement, Forbush told her biological mother that she now had a grandson. And Roach told Forbush that she had a younger brother.“We instantly just started talking like we were best friends,” said Forbush.They met that week for the first time. Roach brought all her siblings over to the Philomath house to meet Forbush.“They were all like me,” Forbush said. “I grew up in a big family. I had three sisters and a brother, but no one has ever been like me. I’ve always been loud and obnoxious, according to them, but I come here and I’m like ‘These people are just like me.’ ”Forbush and Roach discovered they shared a lot in common, from their love of laughter to their gift of music and singing. It was surprising to Forbush to learn how much biology had played a part in her personality.“The first time I walked in, I felt like it was home,” Forbush said.Forbush was raised in Utah and Washington by an LDS family who had already adopted a son; she lives now outside of Olympia, Wash. After Lynne and Roger Forbush brought Season into their home, they had three biological children of their own. Season Forbush said she always knew that she was adopted, and always felt the desire to find her mother, although she loved her adoptive family.“I had a wonderful upbringing,” Forbush said.When she was 18, she tried to get access to her birth records, but was told she couldn’t see them until she was 21. But at 21, she had just given birth to her son, Geryk, and didn’t think it was the right time, so she waited until she was 25 to finally seek out her biological mother. Her adoptive parents were supportive; in fact, her mother helped Forbush do an Internet search to track Roach down.Although the reunion was very emotional and a little scary for both of them, the pair formed an instant bond. Since that initial meeting, they’ve met in person four times, including a meeting this week, and talk on the phone every day.“I’m at the stage now where I want to pet her all the time,” Roach said.Forbush now is hoping to track down her biological father. Roach met him in Lebanon in 1980. He was doing roof work on a chain restaurant in town, and his initials are R.R. Roach, whose last name was Umland at the time, said Forbush’s father knew she was pregnant, but made it clear he didn’t want to be involved.Forbush said she doesn’t want anything from her father, except to meet him, if he’s interested in getting in contact with her. She is especially interested in her family’s health history, for her son’s benefit.Even if she doesn’t hear from her father, she’s grateful for the blessing of her new relationship with her biological mother.“I am finally learning who I am, and where I come from. It’s really helped me a lot, my whole entire attitude has changed,” Forbush said. “My whole life has changed, and it’s really awesome.”If Forbush’s father is still in the area, he can contact her at seasonlynne@hotmail.com.