Post Secret (Part 42)/ Mother's Day (Part 5) -Adopted Daughter/ adoption

May 10, 2026:

Adopted Daughter

To: “frank” <frank@postsecret.com>

Dear Frank,

I’m not sure where to begin. I haven’t closed out my PostSecret tab in over 5 years now. It’s something that brings me comfort to see daily, that the site is not going to abandon me.

As this Mother’s Day approaches, I find myself in a mental world of a mess. I was adopted at birth, and that adoption was a closed adoption. I have tried a couple of times to find my biological mother, but have been shut down by family, extended family, and even the court system here.

I do know that the parents who adopted me, are my parents. They did a fantastic job raising me and providing me with a life I would have only probably dreamed of. But it doesn’t take away the abandonment and rejection I’ve had to deal with time and time again. That hole only gets worse as I get older, my parents age, and I raise my son.

Speaking of my son, he is the only gift I knew I ever wanted in life. To be a mom. I am so blessed to be his mom and that he chose me to fulfill that role for him. But man has this been a hell of a ride. I almost died during childbirth. The pain that I’ve endured is beyond words. I feel so lucky because of my son and the fact I am still alive this coming Mother’s Day, that I am 50% excited to celebrate.

With all the trauma I have had to endure and will keep enduring until I am fixed, I just can’t find a way to express my gratitude for my biological mom. I may never get to meet her, that hole in my soul may never be filled…. But my deepest secret has always been that I want to hear her heartbeat. As an adult I would do anything to hear that heartbeat that I listened to everyday for 9 months. That heartbeat that gave me life. And chose for me to live. I am pro choice, but I am so thankful my mom chose for me to live. I wish I could hug her and thank her.

Since I can’t thank her, and I don’t have the guts to do one of the ancestry tests, I am sending you my thanks for her.

The fact your website is always there and does not abandon anyone, no matter their struggles, is something I’ll always be thankful for.

Sent from a place a love and care

My opinion: Earlier this year I met this guy who found his biological mother.  He's in his 30s.  He wrote to her and she wrote back:

"God has sent you back to me."

I thought that was beautiful.  

I'm not exactly religious, but I am spiritual.

It turns out she and her boyfriend were very young and couldn't take care of the baby, so they gave him up for adoption.

My week:

Sun. May 10, 2026:

Eduard J, Edmonton, Alberta, would like to know:

Do you invest in the stock market?

No

65.06% (2555)

Yes

34.94% (1372)

My opinion: Yes.  I have a few stocks, but I don't really pay attention to that.

Mon. May 11, 2026:

Maria A, Montréal, Québec, would like to know:

How many times a day do you brush your teeth?

Twice a day

54.20% (3093)

Once a day

30.12% (1719)

Three times per day

12.53% (715)

More than three times a day

3.15% (180)

My opinion: Once a day.

Wed. May 13, 2026:

Eduard J, Edmonton, Alberta, would like to know:

Have you booked your campsites for the summer yet?

I don’t go camping

64.10% (4441)

No

26.23% (1817)

Yes

9.67% (670)

My opinion: I don't go camping.

Thurs. May 14, 2026:

Nicole J, Winnipeg, Manitoba, would like to know:

Do you sleep with your bedroom window open?

No

59.30% (2660)

Yes

40.70% (1826)

My opinion: No.  

Fri. May 15, 2026:

Jan Y, Thornhill, Ontario, would like to know:

Do you walk 10,000 steps in a day?

No

64.58% (4791)

Yes

35.42% (2628)

My opinion: No.  

"Buyers emerge for HBC stores in downtown Calgary, Ottawa, Vancouver: court docs"/ "As department stores are ‘sunsetted,’ what’s happening with the former Hudson’s Bay buildings?"

May 1, 2026 "Buyers emerge for HBC stores in downtown Calgary, Ottawa, Vancouver: court docs": Today I found this article by Tara Deschamps on BNN Bloomberg:

Buyers have been found for four properties that used to be home to Hudson’s Bay department stores.

Court records filed this week show the defunct retailer and its ex-property partner RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust have takers for their downtown Calgary, Ottawa and Vancouver sites, as well as a location at Devonshire Mall in Windsor, Ont.

Astra Real Estate Corp. wants the 8th Avenue location in Calgary, 

a numbered company linked to Claridge Homes is after the Ottawa site on Rideau Street

and Onni Development Capital Corp. is eyeing the former store on Granville Street in Vancouver. 

Meanwhile, Circle Retail Properties LP wants the Devonshire Mall site on Howard Street.

A receiver, which was appointed to take control of the HBC and RioCan joint venture last year, says it will ask a court next week to approve the Ottawa sale and seek permission for the other transactions soon.

Court filings do not show what the buyers have offered to pay for the properties, nor what they will do with them.

The filings were made around the same time as Brookfield Properties and Larco Investments applied to the City of Toronto to turn the upper floors of a former HBC site on Bloor Street East into a self-storage facility. 

HBC closed its property at that location years before the retailer filed for creditor protection in March 2025.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 1, 2026.

Tara Deschamps, The Canadian Press

https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/business/company-news/2026/05/01/buyers-emerge-for-hbc-stores-in-downtown-calgary-ottawa-vancouver-court-docs/

May 4, 2026 "As department stores are ‘sunsetted,’ what’s happening with the former Hudson’s Bay buildings?": Today I found this article by Kathy Le on BNN Bloomberg:

Former Hudson’s Bay buildings across Canada are being reimagined 

as owners search for new ways 

to repurpose massive retail spaces 

following the company’s bankruptcy last year.

In Calgary, a historic Stephen Avenue location could soon be transformed into residential units after a purchase agreement by locally based Astra Real Estate Corp.

A real estate experts say the downtown location makes the building well-suited for housing, 

particularly as Calgary’s population continues to grow, 

though success will depend 

on how the project is executed.

“It has some vibrancy. 

There’s 

the shops, 

the retail, 

the restaurants 

and some nightlife as well,” 

said Calgary realtor Julie Dempsey.

“If you can do something that offers 

a unique aspect 

and it’s priced affordably 

that’s kind of the winning combination.”

Retail analyst Bruce Winder said Calgary’s growth makes residential conversion a strong option in this case, 

but in other parts of the country 

— particularly where markets are more saturated

 — owners are having to take a more creative approach to repurposing large retail spaces.

“It’s just sort of a symptom of how retail has changed,” Winder said. 

“More is being bought online. 

When it comes to brick and mortar,

consumers either go to discounters like Walmart or Dollarama 

or they buy online.”

He said in prime locations, 

developers may divide large properties into smaller retail units, 

while in other markets they may turn to 

residential, 

mixed-use 

or even unconventional uses.

In Ottawa, the future of a former Hudson’s Bay building in the ByWard Market remains uncertain after a numbered company tied to Claridge Homes reached a deal to purchase the site.

In Toronto, a proposal has been put forward to convert much of a long-vacant former Bay location at Yonge and Bloor streets into a self-storage facility — a plan that has drawn mixed reactions.

Industry observers say adapting these buildings can be difficult due to market conditions, 

the decline of large-format retail 

and constraints tied to the structures themselves.

“Department stores have ‘sunsetted’ and we just don’t need the same space anymore,” 

Winder said.

https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/business/real-estate/2026/05/04/from-condos-to-storage-former-hudsons-bay-buildings-find-new-life/