Perhaps I should cut the explanation portion altogether, and save it for later…integrating it into the chapter where I am actually sitting down at the computer and I see a photo of my birthmom for the first time? That way, the reader doesn’t know from the very beginning that the reunion even happens because, for much of the rest of the memoir, it seems like all the odds are against it. What do you think?

I am, however, wondering about the validity of the term “sleepwalking” in light of the fact that ‘Lori’ remembers everything after being awoken even if it were years later. It is my understanding that sleepwalking cannot occur if a person’s mind is conscious enough to create memories. There must be a better term for what has occurred.

Anyway, your description in the first half is beautiful. I love reading someone who describes so vividly because I tend to rush and miss the details that make for such clear images.

This, in particular, was beautifully described :

It was soft beneath my toes. Across the yard, our red Chevy Blazer was parked under the carport that stood to the left of the garage. In front of it sat two wooden deck chairs. At one time, the chairs were painted a dark reddish-brown, but the sun and the rain had wore them down and chipped away the varnish to a dull dirt color.

Love it. I’m anxious to see what happens next.