This is a multi-part message in MIME format. --------------19D74CB8064B2B38FB5439E1 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Because I read several genealogy lists and have posted numerous messages, plus received so much help and ideas from so many wonderful people on these lists, I just had to share my incredible news with you all. I hope you'll forgive me for a little cross-posting, but I don't want to miss anyone. I grew up knowing and sometimes living with three of my half sisters. I knew I had other sisters and brothers, but was never told much about them. Then at the age of 17, I met my biological mother and also one of my sisters. (The sister I met also met our mother for the first time that weekend.) It was then I learned of other brothers and sisters who had been adopted into different homes. I searched for siblings off and on in my 20s, but began looking in earnest in my early 30s. It was then I found 4 more sisters and a brother. There was still one brother missing. I actually spoke to the social worker who handled his adoption and she had his file on her desk, but she couldn't release any information. (That was about 15 or 20 years ago.) The rest of us have had mini reunions and have gotten to know each other. We stay in touch, and in some cases some of us have a really wonderful relationship with each other. But at every get-together, we'd talk about "Baby Richard" who we had never found. I posted queries to the internet, but no luck. Well, a couple days ago one of my sisters who lives in Oklahoma got a phone call from the State of Oklahoma. Apparently, there is a new mediation service of some sort that assists adoptees in finding siblings, parents, etc. As it turned out, our baby brother (who is now 37 years old), had registered earlier this year with that agency. And by so doing, the agency tracked down one of my sisters. Her adoption file had a notation in it that if her brother came looking, that she definitely wanted to be found. Consequently, the agency called Rhonda and told her that Richard would like to get in touch with her. Waiver forms were faxed to both of them, signed, faxed back to the agency, and then the phone numbers were released. It has been so incredible. Last night I talked to my brother for the first time on the phone. I can't begin to describe the feelings inside...I was shaking, crying, laughing, and probably not making much sense..grin... I had so many questions and so many things I wanted to tell him...but mostly I just wanted to reach through the phone lines and hug him. He sounded so nice, he did something so very special I could hardly believe it. It just so happens that yesterday was our biological mother's birthday. When he found that out, he said, "Well, maybe I should call her and wish her a Happy Birthday." He had been quite nervous about talking to her, so that was such a wonderful gesture on his part. Since our mother is in the final stages of emphesema, and since Richard was always the missing piece of our family, how incredible the timing that he should find us now and that he would be willing to call her. It made her day so very special, and endeared him even more to me. I feel a peace inside now. We are whole again. Learning about family has been so very important to me, and I have appreciated each one who has given me suggestions or information. Now I can share that research with all my sisters and brothers. Because I feel like I almost know so many who post to the various lists (even though I don't post often...I read all the time(...I just had to share the wonderful news with each of you. Paula --------------19D74CB8064B2B38FB5439E1 Content-Type: text/x-vcard; charset=us-ascii; name="roots-researcher.vcf" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Description: Card for Paula Content-Disposition: attachment; filename="roots-researcher.vcf" begin:vcard n:Jamison;Paula x-mozilla-html:TRUE adr:;;;;;; version:2.1 email;internet:roots-researcher@home.com note:Surnames: ARNOLD, BLACKBURN, DAWSON, DIXON, DYE, ELLIFRITZ, FLEEK/FLICK, HAWS, ISER, JUNKINS, KITZMILLER, LILLER, McHENRY, MILLER, MINNICK, PARKER, ROGERS, SPENCER, STAGGS, THRASH, UMSTOT, URICE, WILSON, YOST fn:Paula Jamison end:vcard --------------19D74CB8064B2B38FB5439E1--