It's been kind of doom-and-gloom up in here lately, no? Thankfully, I have a nice little reunion story to share with my readers. This one hails out of India. (Be sure to visit the article because the pictures included are beautiful.)

Minda, a nineteen-year-old adoptee, and her (adoptive) mother Catherine traveled back to India to celebrate the 25 year anniversary of the home from which she was adopted. Many other adoptees and family members traveled for the event as well. As she traveled to India, she believed she would get to meet her biological mother. A rarity with this home as the director can only remember a handful or so of successful reunions as the information leaves searchers with very little to go on.

Minda was lucky.

Due to the fact that she was born without limbs, that connection with her placement was easy for her biological family to recognize her as their child. Upon reunion, her birth mother was crying. Minda's response was reassuring to her biological mother (and to many other first mothers world wide).

“Tell her not to cry. I respect what she did. It is because of her courage that I have a good life now,” Minda said.

I get weepy just reading it.

Through the reunion, Minda learned that it was her biological father that took her to the hospital. He didn't feel as if the family could provide for her special needs at the time.

Later, he made a confession. It was he who had taken the newborn girl to the hospital, a two-hour journey by road. “I had to tell your mother that the baby would be back, that you would be treated at the hospital. She would not have let you go had she known you were not coming back.”

This, of course, broke my heart. I'm sure many other mothers, no matter their determiner, feel the same way. To be forcefully parted from your child under the guise that said child would be returning seems absolutely awful. I do applaud this father for telling the truth. I'm sure it must have been a relief to explain the reasons and see his child once again.

Of course, my favorite response is from Catherine, Minda's adoptive mother. As many readers know and understand, reunion can be a trying time for the adoptive family. This mother graciously accepted another and speaks volumes as to what love and acceptance can do.

“My family has just got bigger,” Catherine said to the girls. “And Minda has two mothers now.”

Two mothers indeed.

My heart is full of joy when I read things like this happy story. Love, acceptance, reassurance and an answer to questions. What more could you ask for? I hope that this newly grown family can stay in contact over the distance.

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For more on reunion, read these posts.


Photo Credit.