Finding Myself, Finding My Daughter

Book excerpt: Originally intended as a journal to chronicle the lengthy journey to international adoption, Finding Myself, Finding My Daughter is the sincere and heartwarming memoir of a woman who soon discovers she must find herself before she can adopt a child. In the first pages of her autobiographical tale, author Cheryle Rietmann reflects on her turbulent childhood and a violent first marriage that brought her to the brink of suicide. Eventually, Rietmann finds happiness after marrying Gregg, her second husband and the father of her two sons, but the desperate ache to find the lonely little girl she has envisioned for years finally becomes too much to ignore. Gregg and Cheryle begin the mound of international paperwork that finally leads them to an orphanage in Ukraine and to their beautiful daughter, Ola. By reflecting on her learned lessons of love and perseverance, Rietmann is at last able to recognize and accept the path that led her halfway across the world to an orphanage full of the hopeful faces of children. Finding Myself, Finding My Daughter will become a guide and companion for anyone who has ever searched for themselves and their place in the world, ultimately teaching them that each and everyone of us, in our own small way, can make a difference.