It was a cold morning the temperature was freezing, raining sleet,heading

for our first stop,Hopkinsville, Kentucky to meet my daughter

whom I hadn't seen for 15 years and four grandchildren

Two days later arriving in Hopkinsville, adrenaline flowing and my palms

sweating, my nerves on edge,I had found that my daughter had moved

and no phone number in the book,

I could not seem to locate her finally stopping

at her church and looking up her mother's address and phone number.

I did get her new address and proceeded to locate her

once again nerves on edge I walked up to her door and knocked.

I was greeted with open arms from my daughter,

still nervous and legs shaking I was greeted by

my grandchildren and Dawn’s husband Phil.

After a short time things seemed to settle down

and time was spent talking and trying to get acquainted

and to get to know each other.

We spent a few days and had to leave to arrive

in San Antonio Tx.by the 13 of Jan.

On the 12 of Jan. 98 we arrived in Texas

and proceeded to find the address of Friends we had met on the internet

who so graciously was willing to let us stay there until

I could obtain my job and find suitable quarters.

Again we were nervous as we had never met these people

in person until now needless to say we

found the address and were greeted graciously.

The following day I called the company that I was to go to work for

and lo and behold my job was no longer available,

But they stated that there would be another opening soon.

But not to be discourged, I sent out resumes for work,

unfortunately by the time resumes went out

and calls were coming in for interviews,

our money was getting very low and

without an immediate job a decision had to be made,

stay and take a chance or take what was left and head north again.

I had made my daughter in Kentucky a promise

that if things should not work out in Texas

I would at least try and move closer to her so

that we could continue to bond and get to know each other.

So I made a call to my cousin in Tennessee

and explained the situation and asked

if we could stay there until I could acquire a job.

She graciously accepted so in February 1998

we left Texas heading for Tennessee which would

only put us a 6 hour drive from Kentucky.

We arrived on the 24 of Feb 98 and I immediately sent out resumes

and registered at the local employment agency.

It took me almost 2 months before I could get a full time job.

Finally I attained one at FingerHut Corporation

as a Customer Service Representative and have been there since.

I have since been able to visit with my daughter and we have

now really bonded together and the grandchildren call me Bumpa.

Also this Thanksgiving I was able to go and visit Dawn

and was surprised by my other daughter Robin who lives in Michigan.

She came to visit and again I have started the bonding process

all over again for I hadn’t been able to see her for 16 years.

Things are looking up now and we are very content here in Tennessee,

warm weather, no more ice, snow, blizzards.

We have been fortunate for our daughter Hannah to be able to come

from Maine and spend a couple of months with us.

So you see with God’s Help and Friends we have met on the net,

and family and friends here in Tennessee,

we can now say we are living our dream.

I have only one other Dream and that is to be

able to see my biological father whom I have never met,

even though all my life he only lived 13 miles away

on an island off the coast of Maine.

So maybe God willing I will be able to fullfill this Dream too.

So Please, never let go of your Dream

because no matter what,

there is always a light at the end of the tunnel.

Dream it, Believe it, and it can come true.