MY MOTHER LEFT ME BEHIND AT AN AIRPORT WHEN I WAS ONLY EIGHT—WALKING AWAY WITH HER NEW HUSBAND AND HIS CHILDREN WHILE I CLUTCHED A BACKPACK AND A STUFFED BUNNY. WHEN SHE RETURNED, MY BEDROOM WAS EMPTY… AND LEGAL DOCUMENTS WERE WAITING FOR HER.

I tell my story for the kids who are sitting on those plastic chairs right now, wondering if they are replaceable. I tell it for the fathers who are searching through the fog of legal battles and lies.

You matter. You are worth the search. You are worth the private jet, the heart-shaped pancakes, and the midnight blue walls.

One woman abandoned me. One man came for me. But in the end, I was the one who chose to stay for myself. And that is the only boarding pass I will ever need.…continue reading …