A beautiful baby girl is born, the delight of her Father in heaven and He her Father.
The Spurious Daughter: Not the Kingdom's Counterfeit
The story begins on February 4, 1971 in the “Crossroads of America,” Terre Haute, Indiana. My Mother, Rosalie “Rosie” Rader, was living in Terre Haute with her 8 year old son James. Rosie was 25 years old and married to her second husband, Alan Rader. He was serving a prison sentence at the Federal Penitentiary in Terre Haute for counterfeiting and embezzlement crimes. Alcoholic’s Anonymous, 12-Step Program, and Daily Meetings at the AA House is where Rosie met Richard “Dick” Wood who was 13 years sober with AA. Rosie was also sober with AA.
Richard and Rosie were drawn to each other at the AA meetings. Rosie was married at the time to Al, in prison, and Dick was either married to Sara Wood, the mother of his 5 children, or was in the process of getting a divorce from Sara after 25 years of marriage. Richard and Rosie fell in love and had their love child, Renee, born in 1971. Dick’s twin daughter, Linda Johanningsmeier, my sister, recalled going with her Dad to Rosie’s home to drop off a key, a month before Renee was born, as Realtors often do. Dick Wood was a Realtor with Pfister’s Real Estate Company in Terre Haute. Linda knew her Dad was taking too long. My Mom opened the door, and from the side, Linda could see that my Mom was very pregnant, ready to deliver. Linda said that my Mom was a beautiful lady, and Linda instinctively knew that this was her Dad’s baby. Linda then inquired from her Dad about this possible truth and he became very defensive and indignant toward his daughter and shamed her for having such thoughts. Linda has always been pure in heart and speech, and her “instincts” were correct, only her Dad denied the truth, then to his daughter.
Jan Emmert, my sister, also remembers being at the house and seeing this “beautiful infant girl.” Jan even thought she looked like a “Wood!” Anne Thompson, another of my Wood sisters, remembers someone telling her that the Saltz’s neighbor, whom Anne was visiting, was pregnant and the Father was Anne’s Dad, Dick Wood. Anne was a senior in college, at Indiana State University in Terre Haute, and she kept this secret hidden in her heart for 47 years, but vowed then and there that she would one day find her baby sister. 47 years later, Big Sister Anne found Baby Sister Renee Anne. Anne has loved Renee from day one and kept her hidden in her heart and told no one. Dick’s ex-wife, Sara Wood, asked to see the baby as well, and we believe Sara also saw the baby girl Renee and her Mom Rosie.
Betsey Stewart, my oldest Wood sister, and Rick Wood, Jr., Linda’s twin, and my older Wood brother, were unaware of their baby sister Renee, until 47 years later when they both rejoiced at Anne’s finding Renee and Renee’s finding Anne and her Wood siblings, on her birthday, February 4, 2018, in Golden Colorado, when Renee turned 47, home at last with her siblings and her Wood family, atop Lookout Mountain.
Boarding the Plane
My Mom told me years later that at about 3 months old, we boarded a plane, the three of us, Mom, her son James, my brother, and me, her baby daughter and James’ sister. We three were sent back to Utah where Mom was from, never to be seen or heard from again.
Problem solved. From there, we three moved to Lebanon, Kansas, where Mom married her third husband Gayle Rorabaugh in 1980, stabilizing our lives from a welfare system and providing us a pretty normal life, a sheltered life. God gave me a wonderful “Grandma” who lived across the street.
Compelling Search
At 23 years old, I was living on my own in the Greater Chicagoland area. I began feeling compelled to find my Dad; at least, he could give me an explanation. I believed, up until this time, that Alan Rader was my Father. I had no contact with him (Al Rader) since I was 5 years old. My Mom broke down one day and told me Al was not my Father, but a man named Richard Wood was my Father. She told me Richard was a Real Estate Agent, and, the last she knew him, he was married with 5 other children. Disillusioned, I buried it in my heart, and tried to move on.
Intensity of Love
As life went on, I married Vince Baldaccini. In 1997 we had our first- born son, Peter Joseph Baldaccini. One afternoon, when Pete was only 3 months old, I remember holding so tightly onto Peter, unable to get past all the awe and wonderment of the intensity of the love I felt for him. Then it hit me.
This is how old I was when my Father put me on a plane, and never concerned himself again with my life. The dumbfoundness I felt, the hurt that came over me, the deep sadness and abandonment and loss led me to search for him and ask him “Why?!”
With my three pieces of information, I decided to call the Terre Haute Public Library and ask them to go back on microfilm and see if there were any ads in 1971 for a Real Estate Agent, Richard Wood. As God ordained, there it was. I took the number, and against all odds, called it. An older man answered the phone, and I inquired about Richard Wood, telling him I thought Richard was my Dad.
There was silence on his end.
Then, he simply said that he would get right back to me with a number to call.
It took me a couple of weeks to forge the courage I needed to make this call, but when I did, Richard answered the phone. I gave him my name, and asked if he was my Father. After a pregnant pause, he simply said, “Well, yes, well yes, I believe I am.” “And how is Rosie doing?”
From there he began in all of this awkwardness to tell me about his other 5 children, colleges, awards, families.
I remember just being silent. I felt unseen.
We agreed to meet after that. He and his second wife, Barbara Wood, drove to Palatine, Illinois where we lived. Coincidently, my Mom called and was coming in during this time too, from Texas. I had never told my Mom anything about this. Only God could have orchestrated such an unplanned, necessary event.
After this, Dad sent me a calendar holder made from 100 year old wood and a card. I found out later that he made these special hand-made calendar holders for all of his five children, and now his sixth child too. When I turned 47, at our Wood Family Reunion, my brother Rick gave me his Dad-made calendar holder, which held the Lang yearly calendars, and we both cherished our Brother/Sister bond with our Dad, in his handiwork for his six beloved Wood children.
At the time of our Palatine meeting, he spent hours outside the restaurant with my Mom Rosie, and I was left inside, with my husband Vince and Barbara Wood. I felt alone. I felt from that moment forward that I did not need to have a relationship with him. I had accomplished what I set out to do. It was good enough for me at the time. Dad mentioned to me that all of his 5 kids knew about me, but I never believed him. I was right. Dad had lied to me.
About a year later, Barbara Wood sent me a card with his Obituary. Once again, I was denied the choice to go to his funeral. I received it 3 weeks after his funeral in Terre Haute, Indiana.
I took my Mother’s words to heart, and wanted to “just let sleeping dog lie.”
Relentless Love
I began to wonder if my Wood brother and sisters would want to know about me, but I just didn’t seem to have the heart to really pursue it. But God had more than the heart to set His plan in motion long before I knew.
God would not give my sister Anne a moment’s peace until she uncovered my existence, placing a deep, consuming love in her heart for me, from the day she learned of me, in 1971, a sister’s love and devotion, and she, 47 years later, was determined to find me, her baby sister.
Thanksgiving Miracles, beginning the month of November 2017 with my big sister Anne searching for her baby sister Renee online. My daughter Sedona saw Anne’s plea to find her baby sister Renee, and Sedona responded to Anne. I eventually contacted Anne too, enveloped in the Miracle of God’s love for me, little baby sister Renee, and the huge Wood Family that loves me to the moon and back, and couldn’t wait to meet me, hug me, love me, welcome me to our family.
Our Wood Reunion took place on my Birthday Weekend, February 4,2018, in Anne and Joe Thompson’s mountain home on Lookout Mountain in Golden, Colorado. Unbelievable Love. God’s love, my siblings, their children, their children’s children, and God Almighty’s Power and Love. His timing is always perfect to our deepest needs. And here we are today, reunited, jumping headlong into God’s story of us.
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