Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Part 8 to My Story

August 6, 1990 

I went to the library on the way home from work. Shirley had told me that there was a book written about the Hubbard’s at one time. On the way home from work I decided to go to the OU Medical School Library to look at the yearbook to find a picture of Dr. Bill. As an afterthought, I stopped at the Downtown Library to look for the book Shirley told me about. I typed in the name Hubbard under authors and sure enough there was a book.  It was in a special room not to be checked out, but they told me I could have it sent to that library from Bethany. I filled out the paperwork to have it sent and then asked if I could look at it. When I found it the first page I opened had a picture of Dr. Bill as a young man. I again had that familiar feeling of cold chills because I could see myself in his eyes! It felt so spectacular to see a family resemblance. The book is called "An Oklahoma Rebel, The Life Story of Dr. John C. Hubbard." He was my grandfather. This book was such a gift. It has many pictures, including my great-grandparents, grandparents, siblings, uncles and cousins. I decided right then and there that I could not wait to have the book sent, so, I drove to Bethany to check it out that evening. 

Here is a link for the book. There are copies available. It is a rather interesting biography of my grandparents. They met as traveling actors/singers in OklahomaTerritory before it became a state. He became a doctor and opened Hubbard Hospital in OKC in the 1920's. He was instrumental in the creation of the Civic Center in OKC. His mother was a very active Quaker minister in OKC. She was a published poet. Elbert Hubbard who was an American artist, publisher, author and philosopher was my grandfather's cousin.  
 
http://www.amazon.com/OKLAHOMA-REBEL-Life-Story-Hubbard/dp/B000ICILX8/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1406007804&sr=8-6&keywords=An+Oklahoma+rebel

This is Hubbard Hospital. It was open from the 1920's until the 1970's. 


My Grandfather and grandmother. 

Dr. John C. Hubbard, self described as an Oklahoma rebel. My grandpa, I wish I had known him. 


Dr. Bill is on the left next to his brother, my uncle, Dr. John. 



When I arrived home, I had my first letter from Shirley. It contained pictures also. I have my mother's smile, I think. She is so cute. She looks like the kind of sweet mother you would want to just crawl up in her lap and snuggle. She also sent a family tree for me. Wow! In one day I suddenly had more information on my roots than most people do that are not adopted!


This was my mother a year before I was born. It is not the picture she sent in 1990. But, I like this one. Note the dimples my sister spoke about. 



This was me around the time that this was going on. 


 

One week passed from the time I got the book. I contacted the author of the book and he said he could sell me a copy. I wrote a letter putting my feelings in it to give to Dr. Bill, but I was unsure of how I was going to get it to him. 

August 13, 1990 

Eight weeks after finding out I was adopted, I went to buy the book. I was so blessed that the author had a book autographed by Dr. John C. Hubbard. When I left the authors house, I realized I was about a block away from my father's office. I prayed because I had been fearful of confronting Bill alone. I felt my core gut feeling say, "You don't need Jimmy, because, you are not alone. I am with you." I drove around the block several times and then sat in the parking lot watching patients coming and going for about fifteen minutes. Finally, I just got out of my car to go in. I had such a peace about it. My heart was pounding, but I felt now is as good a time as any. Besides, what's the worst that could happen? 

When I went in, the receptionist was on the phone and motioned for me to wait a minute. It was actually about five minutes but it seemed like an eternity. Just as the receptionist hung up the phone, Dr. Bill came out to the front desk. She asked if she could help me and I looked right at my father and said, "I have a letter to give to Dr. Hubbard." Then, I asked him if I could speak to him in private. 

We went into his office and I shut the door. I sat across the desk from him. I looked him straight in the face and said, "Dr. Hubbard, I am Katie. I am Shirley's daughter and that makes me your daughter, too." He denied ever having a sexual relationship with Shirley, but he was smiling in a sheepish kind of way the whole time we talked. I felt comfortable with him even though he was trying real hard to reject me. He is just too kind of a person to be mean, I think. I would not let him deny it. I heard what he was saying and then told him, "Well, I STILL am convinced that I am your daughter." I told him about myself and the traits I have that I know came from him. I talked about my career choice and how from the age of eleven I always wanted to work in a hospital. He listened intently and asked me questions. He was too interested for someone who could not possibly be my father! Then I told him about my singing talent. That intrigued him I think. He too sings in the church choir and sings tenor, I am a soprano. I gave him a tape of my singing. I was not planning to go to his office that day but I had my only copy of the tape in my purse. I felt led to give that to him. Before I left his office he hugged me tightly. He showed me pictures of his family also. I saw pictures on the wall. I told him, "I am absolutely sure you are my father now. Whoever that child is in that picture on your wall, he looks exactly like my son when he was small." He just laughed and hugged me again with no admissions. All this from a man who never had a sexual relationship with my mother. 😉

That night when I told Shirley about our conversation she said, "See? I TOLD Faith you were an immaculate conception! I never did anything wrong. The father even confirms that!" She has such a wonderful sense of humor. 


Well, I will stop there for now. It is late. I will get back to it soon. If you have questions or want to discuss your feelings, please do so on the FB Shepherd's Heart page. You may share articles, stories or thoughts to open up dialogue. I offer my story to inspire others to share or to search if desired. We adoptees also need to learn and hear from birth parents when possible. Here is the link to the FB page. 

https://www.facebook.com/shepherdsheartspot


❤️❤️❤️❤️✌️✌️🎵🎶

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