Unraveling Echoes

My mother was simply given away as a toddler—not adopted, just given away. One day the pain of her longing to know her own name, her mother and why she was given away, was more than she could bear. I walked in on her crying. Attempting to soothe her, I hugged her as tight as I could and I promised to find answers to her questions to stop her tears. Madear looked up at me and said, earnestly, “you know you can and if anybody will, it’s you.” At the time, I didn’t think about what my words meant to her nor what hers would someday come to mean to me.
 
After all, Madear knew absolutely nothing about herself—name, birthdate, birthplace, parents’ names, nothing. There wasn’t even a place to start. Find what? From whom, from where? She did stop crying and that’s what I was after. That was the end of it. I thought. Fast forward a few years and the promise I made to my mother long ago began to haunt me in more ways than one. I have learned that destiny is haunting and will show up and stay until you shake hands with it, satisfy it. That promise became a mission and I began my journey of trying to fulfill my promise to Madear. At the same time wondering why I was even trying since I had nothing real because she never had any information about herself. Long story short, I spent lots of time, money and emotion trying, unsuccessfully, for years.
 
Then on a mission to do something else down in Jackson, MS, there I was lead right to an angel that God had waiting to show me that all the years of work, disappointments and feelings of hopelessness was just what happens on the way to beautiful answers for the most beautiful, soul I will ever know. I must tell you all about it, share the joys and sorrow and, finally, the triumph of it all. Hopefully, I inspire you to find the courage to tackle that dream you think can’t come true and send you to work toward your answers. Sharing this book with you is my posthumous love letter to the best person ever in my life, my mother. I learned every important thing in life watching you Madear and I am so grateful that you could always see me.
 
Unraveling Echoes: Finding My Mother’s Identity is for you, Madear. I always thank you, love on you and pray your new life is overflowing with the love of parents who cared and protected you like you did us. I have asked God a million times to grant you all goodness in your new life.