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On the Train Into Rotterdam
The Trip That Changed How I Thought About My Life…
She was a beautiful baby. When I opened the envelope containing the slightly blurry photo, taken at the hospital just moments after this little angel drew her first Earthly breath, I knew I’d do whatever I had to do to see her in person. But that would be easier said than done. It was December of 2000 and I was a classroom teacher. I also worked in real estate part-time to make ends meet, and had little in savings. But none of that mattered as I gazed into her cherubic face at the mailbox that day.
Three of us would be going the following summer. Each paycheck I would put twenty or thirty dollars into the legal size manila envelope with the photo carefully taped on the outside. I would speak out loud to her and say that we would be meeting soon. All three of us scrimped and saved and did without everything that wasn’t absolutely necessary. In May I called a lady I had met at an Open House who worked as a travel agent and asked her to check the fares.
By July we had enough money to book the flights and we emailed the family in Finland to tell them we were coming. When I asked what Baby Melissa would like for me to bring her, the answer came quickly: Winnie the Pooh. It was her favorite and they were very expensive in Europe. I promised to bring one that wasn’t too big and told my stepdaughter I…
