Special Thanks on this Thanksgiving weekend.

I have pondered how to best share this story and feel that I must share it with you.It is quite a miracle and a great way to celebrate a Thanksgiving weekend.

This story began a long time ago.

Jari's family moved here from Finland when he was but a year old. They were assisted in coming to America by his maternal aunt, Martta. Martta was always a large piece of their lives and passed away from cancer several years ago. Even most of my side of the family has met Martta as she had been to visit in our home numerous times.

Jari had a cousin, Martta's son, who had passed away as well and his children were lost to this side of the family. About six years ago, I spend a lot of time trying to find them and every road came to a dead end. It was just not meant to be at that time in our lives.

In the past several weeks the family has been contacted by a gentlemen named Bob. He is no relation to the family at all, but was looking for his boyhood friend ... who happened to be Jari's first cousin. Bob has the great fortune of living on the east coast, where they all lived at one time, and has access to resources that are difficult for us to touch being so far away.

In his journey to find his friend, who he found was deceased, he made an astounding discovery. Martta also had another son. We may never know all the pieces of this story and why things went the way they did but the second son, Geoff, was placed for adoption at birth. He was raised by a very loving family for whom we are extremely grateful and thankful. I can't imagine what a person goes through when they start the journey to find their "birth" family. Adoption records were sealed and although he spent much in the way of time and energy, he was unable to discover anything to help him in his quest. Until recently. Bob, through some chance of fate, shares the same last name as Geoff's birth mother did although they are no relation. Bob shared the same last name as his best friend when they were growing up together, something they often marveled over. At some point Geoff learned the name of his birth mother, knew he had a brother and just recently contacted Bob in hopes that he was finding his brother. What he found instead was a gentlemen who was willing to help him find the links he had been searching for. For Bob had already been talking to the rest of the "birth family" in the past several weeks.

This past weekend we received an e-mail that gave the Marjanen family a nephew. Gave them a cousin. Telephone calls were made back and forth while we waited to see a picture of our newly found cousin. We now have a face to put with a name and are most anxious to meet him someday soon. He is anxious to meet his kin as well. Facebook has allowed us to share pictures of his birth mother. Someday, over a cup of coffee, we hope to share the pieces of her life that we knew with the son who was never able to meet her.

Along the way we have also found one of those cousins for whom I searched 6 years ago. We are hopeful that at some point we can meet them as well.

Over the weekend while we were quickly learning all sorts of new things, I had to really marvel at what a miracle it all is. Quite often I have to say I've been a member of the Instant Gratification Society in my life. Just as often I have heard, "All in God's time." This weekend was His time. For it didn't matter how much one would have wanted it before, it was not meant to be. The treasure was waiting for when the time was right. We are thrilled.

I am quite confident that we will meet Geoff before too long. I hope we can also meet Bob someday. Several weeks ago he was a complete stranger, unknown to any of us. He set out to find a friend ... and then to help one. He has brought so much joy to so many lives.

We can simply give thanks.