On Saturday I had the pleasure of being a “special guest” at the Charlotte PAGE (Post Adoption Group Encouragement get together. This is a support group of birthmothers and they have several get togethers throughout the year.

They had a pretty good turn out of about 15 birthmothers. I talked a little bit about BirthMom Buds, mingled and got to know many birthmothers, led a craft session where the gals made a picture frame to hold a special picture of their baby, and had a group discussion where we shared parts of our individual stories and our emotions as birthmothers. I think we went through about 3 boxes of Kleenex! Seriously!

While I love chatting with my online birthmother friends, there is just something so validating to actually be sitting in a room amongst fellow birthmothers; to be able to see all the emotions, the grief and pride on each mother’s face as she talked about her child is truly unforgettable.

While each girl touched my heart, there were some who stood out. D is an older birthmother who shared her story of how she reunited with her birth child when her child was thirty. I listened in awe as she told of placing an ad on her daughter’s thirtieth birthday and twenty two days later was hugging her daughter. Not a reunion miracle that happens often but amazing and heart warming to hear!

There was a new birthmother whose child was only two months old. My heart ached for her as she deals with the pain of recently relinquishing her child. There was L, who had driven more miles than me just to be there! She truly needed the validation of other birthmothers and I know she felt it in that room.

Last but not least, I can not forget, V, a pleasant surprise. She is someone that I have known online for about four years. We’ve instant messaged and emailed on and off over the past four years. I didn’t know she would be there and she didn’t know I would be there. It was quite a surprise to see her “in real life.”

Thank you to M for inviting me and to L for hosting; I had an emotional, but great day with my new birthmother friends in Charlotte and hope to see them all again in May!