PEARLINGTON, MS (WLOX) -
Joe Goodman was given up by his mother at a very young age and throughout his life he has longed to meet her. Recently a friend helped him locate her, and Saturday they were able to meet face to face.
When the moment finally came, Goodman dropped his cane and ran to embrace his mother. The two hugged for several minutes with tears flowing down their faces and kept saying, "I love you! Thank you, Jesus!"
Goodman said, "This is the best Christmas gift I could ever have to really just to see momma. You know? To hug her, kiss her, I just love her and just missed her."
His brothers, sisters, nieces and nephews loaded up two church vans in Florida and drove to Alabama to pick up his mother, Adele Nettles.
Nettles said, "I have prayed a many days and nights, and my children they didn't know. Some nights I cried, I cried and I cried. I asked the Lord let me see my children once again."
And this holiday season the Lord answered her prayers. Goodman, his mother, his adopted family and his biological family were all united at his church in Pearlington.
Nettles hugged her son and with tears coming down her face said, "I had to give you a better life than I could afford for you. I couldn't stand it."
"I'm glad you left me let me live," Goodman said. "You didn't abort me. You put me in a nice home, and I want to thank her for that. Regardless of whatever the reason was I don't worry about it; I just love her to death."
And after much hugging the family sat down to sing and rejoice.
Nettles told the whole family, "If you ask the Lord to do something for you and you believe, it will come to pass."
Goodman says this day was the first of many to come.
"I won't lose her, no. I don't care where she goes. If she goes to the other side of the earth, I will find her. I ain't going to lose track of momma no more," Goodman said.
But his quest to reunite his family is not over just yet. He is still looking to locate his older brother Clarence Eugene Goodman.
Saturday, he made a promise to his mother they would find him.
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