'Every Day I've Prayed for Her': Mom Reunites with Daughter 52 Years Later

Donna Pavey could not believe one of her biggest prayers was about to come true before her very eyes.
 
"I can't wait," said Pavey. "Oh my goodness."

She was nervously shaking, eager to see the face of the daughter she'd been separated from for 52 years. 

Five decades ago, Pavey says her parents forced her to give up her child for adoption. While they may have been physically separated, nothing could break the bond Pavey had with her baby. 

"Every day I've prayed for her, and her birthday would come and go," Pavey told KVUE. "I wanted her with me, and I prayed that she would have a good mother and father."

Pavey grew up, got married, and had two more daughters. Through it all, she was constantly searching for her long-lost baby. She even kept her maiden name in hopes that one day her daughter would find her. 

Last week a miracle happened. 

Pavey's daughter, Sharon Glidden, found her on Facebook and said she wanted to meet her. 

Glidden had just found out she was adopted, right after the deaths of her adopted parents. That launched her on a search for the family she never knew she had. 

Pavey agreed to meet Glidden at her other daughter's house in Burnet, Texas. 

The hands on the clock seemed to move slower than ever as they waited in joyful anticipation for a reunion 50 years in the making. Glidden broke down once she laid eyes on her mother. 

"I love you," said Glidden as she and her mother held each other in an unbreakable embrace.

"My eyes, my mouth," said Glidden as she looked at Pavey, seeing her own features in her biological mother.

The family spent the rest of the day catching up on lost time and making new memories. 

"I feel like I'm floating. It is surreal for me," Glidden said.

"Oh yeah, I'm finally breathing a little," Pavey said.

Even though this mother and daughter pair had never met before, their similarities are unmistakable.

They have the same smile, the same eyes, and similar bedazzled shoes. Both were even active in cheerleading.

"I'm so happy that I finally fit somewhere," said Glidden. "I felt like the ugly duckling. Nobody had my feet, nobody had my bendy back thumb."

Glidden and Pavey both held up their thumbs. They both bend backwards.

Glidden thought the only time she would see her daughter was on the other side of eternity. 

"I knew I would see her in heaven, but I never dreamed this day would come," Pavey said.

Now, Glidden refuses to be separated from her mom ever again. She wants to build her mom a home in Oklahoma near hers.

They give glory to God for doing the impossible. 

"When God has His Hand in it, nothing can turn it around," Glidden said.