How long?

Days turn into weeks then a month and a new season. A birthday comes and goes, death hits more than once. And we wait. Things just don't move along the way the ought to move. Seems like we're stuck in a traffic jam, at a railroad crossing with an endless train. We get nowhere.

Sure, there have been some new people showing up. Both sides. Kelley, Sullivan, Butler... But that one little piece of info...the one that will FINALLY give us our connection (or so we hope) is still AWOL. Is it an hour away? A Day? Another Week? Or will it be months? I don't know.

Adding to the frustration are health concerns. And yet, we can't do much. We wait.

I feel like quoting Psalm 22 in the manner of the One who died for us. And yet, what will it do?

We wait. Each day is more frustrating than the last. When it finally reaches its conclusion, will it be High Emotion or will be be an emotional letdown?

I don't know.

We wait. It's all we can do.

When you can't sleep

Years ago, I was in a body cast.  I was told it would come off on a specific day.  The night before, I couldn't sleep.  Not a wink.  Seemed like an hour or two had passed, but it was 10 minutes, 15.  Sometimes not that much.  Unfortunately, I was told it would stay for another 2 months.  BUT...I had to have it off, anyway.

The next week of waiting has begun.  Week 5.  All of Trisha's tests were done, complete, with results, in 30 days.  And that is from Order to results.  What we have now, including order is close to 7, If I have it right.  The waiting is just brutal.  And there is nothing, positively nothing, we can do to speed it up any.

So we wait.  We wait, as patiently as we can.  Trish has been in the hospital.  I've been checking results not just daily, but often every few hours...or even faster.  And since tomorrow is Labor day, most offices and many businesses will be closed.  It just adds more waiting time.

The journey is long, arduous, frustrating, nerve-wracking, and sometimes makes me want to scream.
Yet all the yelling and screaming and cussing in the world will not remove one second from the wait.  And it wastes our energy.

Maybe this week.  Maybe.  Maybe next week.  Again, maybe.  HOPEFULLY, this month.

Until then, I pace like a father-to-be, wondering when it's going to be all over.

The end is in sight.  But traveling 1 foot per day on such a voyage leads to bashing our heads against the wall.

Week 4 underway.  But my mind is elsewhere, really. Trish is in the hospital, dealing with health issues that can only be correct (to the human mind) by surgery.  Heart problems are always with the people.  Considering what we know of Trisha's dad's side, it only makes sense for surgery, but it also has the unfortunate appearance of not Trusting in G_D.

I'm still hoping for results this week, so I can bring them to Trish and show her our proof... the maternal search is done...but can't quite yet.

All we can do is wait and pray for the hands of the surgeons to be steady and skillful.  4 hours on a bypass is NOT my idea of good way to spend a day!

Trish won't be (Obviously) voting in the primary.  In some cases, I can't guess...in others, I have viewed performance and news.  It does help eliminate...

I'm watching Ancestry like a hawk... I mean, I'm on 2, 3, 4, 5 times a day.  If there's a change in "4th cousin or closer" I hold my breath and click...and usually find 4th cousins.  Hopefully, that will change shortly.

Now in midst of week 3.

There are many doc. appointments in the months of August through November. I mean, good grief. There was one in July, Aug had one on the 22nd. There's a hospital stay on the 25th-26th. Another on the 30th. Then September has at least 2 already scheduled. There will need to be another before the 19th of October. Then another on October 24th. And there could be others in that time frame that haven't yet been scheduled. Then another on November 9, and probably 2 more between the 9 and December.
But, those of you who have taken tests...have YOU been on 3-6 times PER DAY, All testing sites and at least 2 times per day for evaluation sites, just because a test is out? That's what I'm doing right now. And then maybe 1 time or 2 per day to other search sites?
I so want those results! And I want to be the first to see them! I don't know if that's bad thing, but it does indicate an obsession. Obsession isn't healthy, but right now it's a part of me.

Things are also tight.  Being on fixed incomes is a pain, especially when they don't make it two weeks before the money runs out.

Also, September is the anniversary month of the date of Trisha's dad's (?) death.  I make that a question mark, only because Tim, paternal suspected half brother hasn't tested yet.  We've been badgering since since contact.  Although, George (one in a string of Georges) tested as a nephew (Trisha's his half aunt), and his father, George (you read that right) was a half-brother of Trish, by George (Do we need a numbering system? ), who was son of George....
George I (George A.)
George II (George B)
George III (George B F-V)) who married a Georgean
And George IV, (George B-V, dropping the F) who's adding a Jr.

Can anyone say "Insanity?"  

End of Week 1...

Week 1 is over.  It is said that 6 to 8 weeks are needed for results.  For Trish, it was 30 days from send-back date to results.  But the database size has doubled.  And there are many more testing, now, which could slow our process.  Latest date of completion, as calculated, is mid-October.  If we set at a more "reasonable" time,  October 6th.  If we calculate day of arrival at HQ as today, we COULD see results as early as 9-20.  Or, if lucky, earlier.

Trish has a lot of health problems.  The clues are in the DNA.  The DNA connects to the family.  The family has answers.  They will prove vital to treating Trisha's health conditions because we will finally (hopefully!) know what got passed down.

I'm hoping that when my own b-day rolls around, I can call out to those who we are meeting and say, "HI.  I'm you're brother-in-law..."  What a treat that will be!

There's a lot to learn.  There's a lot of missed history.  We'll probably never catch up.  But when we finally get everyone together, there's gonna be a huge party.  :)  Well, maybe not... but party in the hearts...We've been lucky;  so far everyone has been accepting and welcoming.  Not everybody is this lucky!

The countdown begins on Maternal proof.

Got word yesterday:  Suspected sibling has received test, activated and the test is on its way to the lab.

Countdown, therefore has begun.  If it's anything like Trisha's test, We will have the answers by Labor Day.  BUT... there are always possible complications.  The kit could get lost.  It could be determined to contain not enough DNA.  The test could be slow in arrival.  Processing could begin late.  It's all wide open.

I've given 75 days for actual results to come in.  That's October 21st.

There are so many options.
1) matches higher than expected.
2) matches at expected levels
3)  Matches lower than expected.
4 )  Doesn't match except on "X"
5) Doesn't math at all.

If option one, it may be endogamy figuring into the mix.  Or it could be a different relationship entirely.  Or we could find something even more odd.  I'm not counting it out, but it doesn't seem likely.
If option 2, in expected range, we have siblings and maternal mystery solved.  Then, we can create a Lazarus, maybe, to confirm the paternal line, although with the half-nephew confirmation, I think we already have.  But I still want the suspected paternal half-brother to test.  Slow going.

Option 3-  I'm not sure what ranges we could see.  But if it's lower, it could mean first cousin and not sibling.  Or maybe a nibling relationship.  Either is fine, but I think we'd prefer the sibling match.

Option 4-  This would be the most unlikely scenario, I think.  The odds would probably be billions to one.  But if there's a total match on "X", it's still a sibling match.  If less, I don't know what I'd think.

Option 5...this would be the most disheartening option.  But it would mean either the line is totally wrong (doesn't seem likely) or there was a hidden adoption.  Whatever the truth worked out to be, it would mean someone else needs to test.

Countdown underway.  Fingers crossed and prayers going up.

BUT LET ME SAY:  Having seen pictures, I'm certain it's the right line.  Even if our tested turns out wrong, we have 2 others who can verify.

HOPE...  Right now, that's what we have.

End of July Update.

July, for the most part (in genealogy) has remained somewhat quiet. I'm trying to solve a couple of other puzzles... but there isn't really enough information on one. The other looks like a connection to a Michael Gallagher and a lady with name of White as the possible connection. I'm trying to reach our subject, here, but haven't been able to do so.

Another really needs to test at Ancestry... that's her best bet to determine beyond who her father really is. It's still a question.

Just waiting on tests. Although I'm sure this is likely now solved, it's just that little bit of proof that the final connection is correct.

One test, each side. and then we start to construct an accurate tree. That may be tough, because of the records... but we will do our best.