One Year Ago Headlines that Weren't in the News

 

    It was just another Friday in March.  The cold dismal days of winter had lingered and crept into the space that was reserved for spring.  Disappointment and rejection seemed to have marked January and February.  The two most important things in her life were family and theater.  Two months had passed from the disappointing phone call with her birthmother and now she had come to terms with the rejection she felt from not getting a principal role in her last play as a senior in high school.  She made the best of it though, pouring herself into the role she was assigned and more importantly into the cast and crew.  She never did anything half way.

    It was Friday and like most mornings, we were running late.  She got in the door as the tardy bell rang.   After four years of trying to beat the bell, it really didn’t matter anymore if she was late or not. It was just another Friday.   “Senioritis” had long settled in like a misty fog that lingered all day.    Everything was predictable and yet everything was about to change.

    After dropping her off, I had driven onto work.  It was a normal Friday morning without any hint that normal was about to be redefined for us.  When I saw my cell phone buzz with Taylor Anne’s face, I could have predicted what she wanted.  Was it lunch money she needed put into her account through the computer?  Was it a check for a theater competition that was due at 3:00 that day?  Was it a book she forgot at home and was trying to track down her dad to bring it to her?

    Her voice was an octave higher than normal and the words tumbled out that she was in the guidance counselor’s office.  My mind bounced around quickly, was she hurt? Did someone hurt her?  She continued,  “I got a personal facebook message from some guy who says he might be my uncle, the message was sent January 26, I just didn’t see it!”  I felt my breath rush right out of me as excitement and possibility ran in. The practical side of me slapped me in the face with the thought was that he was a stalker.  She was young, beautiful, and always put everything about herself out there.  No secret she was adopted.

    She went back to class somehow returning to her normal routine that day.  I scrambled into action, calling a girlfriend to get on facebook with me and help me dissect everything we could learn about this potential stalker.   Before an hour went by, my heart melted as it appeared to me that this person could very well be related to Taylor Anne but we were  cautious in proceeding waiting on verification through a mediator which took three more weeks.

    On March 22, 2013, Taylor Anne was given such a huge gift.  A piece of the puzzle of her life had come into the light.  How did they find her?  How did they know her name?  At that point it really didn’t matter.  We had more questions than answers that day but we also had more hope that this message sent was an answer to Taylor Anne’s prayers and desires that began as a little girl to meet her family.  This date will be marked in our family history as the day that changed all of our lives, especially Taylor Anne.  Most importantly, it serves as a reminder that Our Great God goes before us, planning out every step.  His Working unknown to us, turning a normal day into an extraordinary picture of His Grace not just for us but for all who were watching and for all of Tay’s family, those known and about to be known.