I always wondered where my green eyes came from. I was adopted at birth privately and my birth records were sealed. I knew nothing about my birth family or heritage and I felt incomplete. After searching as an adult, I now know where my green eyes come from. Brigitte. I will never meet Brigitte. The news at the other end of the phone was beyond bittersweet: "We have found your birth family, but your birth mother is no longer alive." I have cried many tears trying to understand the unfairness of her early passing and our inability to reconnect. Through extended family (that was searching for me), I have learned much about Brigitte and am proud to have inherited the same green eyes. My chin held higher, I am grateful for the love of my birth and adoptive families.