I have to confess, this made me verklempt -- especially the last couple of minutes. Last year, I was one of the speakers on the annual Wholly Genes cruise (check out this video to get a feel for genealogical cruising, in case you're curious - and take a look here if you'd like to learn about this year's cruise).
On the Wholly Genes cruises, one of the activities is a series of one-on-one consulting sessions between participants and speakers. Last year, Marilyn Andrus signed up for a slot with me. It turned out that Marilyn was adopted and looking for her birth father.
I'm not an adoption expert by any stretch of the imagination, but Marilyn had enough information that I thought I might be able to find her father. Internet access on ship is still iffy and slow, so I had to wait until I got back to shore, but once I did, I managed to track down Marilyn's dad. Sadly, he had passed away just a few years ago, having lived into his 90s. But there were relatives!
When Marilyn came to the Southern California Genealogical Society's Jamboree this summer, she was kind enough to find me and tell me the outcome. I have to say it's really rewarding when you get to hear the happy endings! In the following video, Marilyn tells her own story: