A mother and daughter who had been separated for 43 years have finally been reunited.

When her young mother left an abusive marriage and found herself unable to care for her baby daughter, she gave her up for adoption.

For the next 43 years, Beth saw her mother in every stranger. “Is that person in line behind me or walking down the street my birth mother? “There’s always been that sense of wonder,” Beth explained.

She was raised in a loving home with her adoptive family as Beth Stewart. However, this did not stop her from wondering about her biological family. She didn’t want to be left in the dark, so she took matters into her own hands and started looking for her mother.

Beth decided to begin her search for information about her birth mother after her eighteenth birthday. Unfortunately, her search was halted when she discovered that the information she sought was sealed.

Beth was disappointed, but she did not give up and continued to look for other options. Beth came to the conclusion that she could find her birth mother by signing up for a popular ancestry website.

To Beth’s surprise, someone related to her was also on the website. Beth, on the other hand, had never met this person. Annette Gajewski was also using the website. Beth’s biological mother, Annette, had always wondered how her daughter was doing. She was looking for her long-lost daughter in the same way Beth was looking for her mother.

Annette had given up hope of ever finding her daughter and was overjoyed when the website notified her that she had a match—and that the person was her daughter.

They were able to meet again after all this time because God brought them together! Beth flew from Arizona to a Michigan airport to meet Annette, and the mother and daughter hugged for a tearful reunion they would never forget.

“It was like a million times better than the first time I ever held her. I just, never thought the day would come,” Annette shared.

Beth doesn’t have to wonder who her mother is anymore, because her mom is no longer a stranger. “She’s always been here, she’s always been in my heart,” said Annette.

What a beautiful moment it must have been for the two when they were able to finally meet each other again.