After Holt adoptee Emily Thornton’s search for her birth mother came to an inconclusive end in 2014, she thought that was it. Then she learned about a search tool that has brought some success to other adoptees — restoring her hope, and inspiring her to launch a second search.

Over a year has passed since my initial, inconclusive search for my birth mother. Although my life is plenty full — a new home, full time work and a near part-time hobby (photography) — not a day goes by that I don’t think about who she is. Whether it is a fleeting drop of disappointment or an entire night wrapped in my husband’s arms grieving, I press on — trying not to let it eat away at my heart. I miss her without even knowing her name. Deeply and inexplicably, I miss her.