General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: DNA Heritage Tests - Why Would E. Warren or Anybody Bother? [View all]MineralMan
(146,281 posts)Would I be interested in meeting a previously unknown half sibling? Well, I know for a fact that no such half-sibling exists. But, if I learned of such a thing, I might make contact, but probably that's it. We are so much more than our genetics, and the longer we live the more influence environment has on who we are. So, at my age, I'd probably be only somewhat interested in forming any relationship with such a half-sibling.
My sister did one of those DNA test things. Nothing particularly interesting showed up. So, I have even less interest than before.
Same for my wife. Her sister did it, too. There are no unknown relatives, so hers would look pretty much the same. Again, there were no surprises in it. It reflected what was already known about her family tree.
New information about such matters can sometimes be useful. It can also be disrupting. You take your chances, I suppose, in doing such research. As I said, I'm not much interested, really. At my age, environment has affected my life more than genetics did. Unlike my siblings, I took a different path through life. They stayed in the old home town, while I left permanently at age 18, going back only for a couple of visits each year. Because of that, my experiences are very different. We're all still close, my immediate family of parents and siblings. My parents, at 93, are at a tenuous stage of their lives. Before much more time has passed, they'll be gone.
My younger brother died last year, at only 67 years of age. I was there for his funeral. My sister has Alzheimer's and is not the same person any longer. After my parents' deaths, and my duties as the executor are over, I probably won't ever return to my home town again until my sister is gone and I have to attend her funeral. The family farm, which loses money every year, will be sold and the proceeds divided according to my parents' wishes after their deaths. And that will be that, frankly. My sister will soon be unable to remember me. My nieces, nephews and their children will still get their annual Christmas greetings, but they live far from where I live, and we probably won't see each other often, if at all.
My wife and I will probably move away from Minnesota, but we don't know where. Her parents are gone, and we moved here to help care for them as they aged. Who knows where we'll go. Somewhere warmer I think. We have no children, so it will be the two of us, for as long as there are two of us. Our estate, such as it will be, will go to a charitable organization.
Life is plenty complex. Additional complexity is not something I'm seeking.