{Letter from Jin-Sook}

It had been 37 days since I received a letter from my birth mom. I sent a reply within a few hours of receiving that first letter and I have been anxiously awaiting another one in return. I have called Holt several times... bugging them for any information at all. But, they had nothing.

Yesterday, I finally got another e-mail from Holt with a letter from my third birth sister, Jin-Sook. She also included her personal e-mail address so that we could communicate directly. Since her letters have been sent to Holt in Korean and then translated, I am still unsure if she speaks/writes in English, which could delay the e-mailing process. But at least we will have a little more control and possibly less waiting time. Five weeks is just too long when you've waited 24 years!

After reading over her letter several times, my first instincts were to 1. respond quickly and 2. share the letter with my readers. Unfortunately, I was not at home to access my blog, so I tried from my parents' house. For some reason the simple act of copy & paste was not functioning. I made multiple attempts and it just wasn't happening for me. I was then heading to work and figured I would just have to do it when I got home later yesterday evening.

When I got home, I felt the need to pray about the letter, not only with gratitude but for guidance. After prayer and lots of thought, I am comforted with the realization that this is truly the beginning of something that will impact my life and the lives of my posterity for eternity. Not only is this union of families unique and special, but it is very personal and sacred for all parties involved. Where I am going with this is that after reading my sisters' letter, it is setting in that these individuals are and will forever be my family now. Not only are they physically in this journey with me, but their hearts are deeply affected as well. It has come to my attention that these letters are not for anyone else but myself and my family. As I study them and hang onto their few words, I am slowly getting a piece of my birth family even with oceans between us. What a blessing.

I will continue to share my progress, thoughts and plans for the future. This is not the end of my search, but just the beginning!

In my sweet sisters' letter, she wrote of how surprised all the kids were when they found out about me. She said that my Um-Ma still holds much guilt and sadness over placing me for adoption. She also mentioned that when they were younger, Um-Ma would watch a TV show about search and reunion of families. Jin-Sook said that Um-Ma would always cry but they never knew why. My favorite part of the letter was that she added how excited they are to meet me, sooner than later.

I responded last night, letting her know that my parents, husband, daughter and I hope to go to Korea in September of this year. I cannot even begin to imagine what it will be like when that day comes. I'm sure I will finally cry!