The Moment You Know Without REALLY Knowing

     Keep in mind, the only contact I had had with him was to send him an inbox message on Facebook to let him know that I was not mad at him but that I had a lot to take in and that as soon as I was ready and comfortable with all of this new information I had, I would be happy to meet him. And he did not respond to that message, so I had no idea how he reacted or felt about what I had said.    
     Well, we got the kids loaded and headed to Paul's house (and this will be the last blog that you hear me refer to him by his given name. His new name given to him by me is Bubba).
    

Going to the Beach (Or so I thought)

     As the next couple of weeks pass by, Jessica and I become closer and she comes to the store and helps me more.  This was good because we needed to get to know each other. After all, I am eleven years older than her and we never got to know each other. I have a sister but I have never been close to her and I always thought that sisters were supposed to be close.    
     When I was 17 and met them all that one time, I remember Jessica more than anyone. My mom always told me that I rolled my eyes just like my dad and that would make me so mad because she was telling me that I was like him and from all that I had grown up knowing, I DID NOT want to be like my dad.  Well, meeting Jessica, I quickly learned that I definitely looked like my dad. Seeing her at the age of 6 was like looking into a mirror of my past and seeing me at 6 all over again.
    

The 2nd First Meeting

     Well from February 5, 2011, Jessica, who is my new found sister, and I started having casual conversations on Facebook but I was still reluctant to really tell anyone about having found her.  As time passed by though, we started talking a little more often and I became more at ease with her on this level.
     By now, (April 2011) I have learned that I have a nephew and three nieces as well as two step nephews and a step niece. When God blesses us with family, well He really loads us up.  I was operating a small consignment shop at the time, Second Blessings Consignment.
    

You Got Me To Thinking

     On February 5, 2011 a very dear friend, Kym Nobles Ragan, came for a visit at my little consignment shop. We chatted for a good long while and then our conversation turned to my father and my brother. For whatever reason, I had it all confused. I thought that my brother, Paul, was my uncle. Once she left the store, I got on my phone and started looking at friends on Facebook.  I found that she was friends with this Paul Tidwell and I was friends with Jessica Vinson who was also friends with Paul but not Kym. Well, needless to say, my curiosity got the best of me. 
    

The First Desire

     One day when I was dusting, I picked up a picture of my little sister and I in a little wading pool in my Maw-Maw's backyard.  I can't tell you what moved me to remove the back off of that frame and see what was behind that picture. But nonetheless, I removed the back and there was this picture of me sitting in a man's lap, a man of whom I had never seen before.  I flipped it over to find it said "Anne and Jesse". I didn't know anything about my father other than his name was Jesse Lee Tidwell, so I assumed this man must be my father.