OWN’s Pam Slaton has her work cut out for her on this week’s episode. Luckily she has Jake…her dog…to comfort her. She will need all the support she can get with her next client, Barbara Bilyeu. Barbara had three kids pretty quickly in the first part of marriage. Married so young, her husband struggled with settling down and they divorced. Unable to care for three children on her own, Barbara decided to give all of her children up for adoption. Self-hatred crept in as Barbara got older. Knowing that her the oldest was going to be 18 soon, Barbara began looking for her children. In 2003, she was reunited with her oldest daughter, Shannon. Barbara and her daughter hoped Pam would be able to find her other two children.

As the family sat hopeful, Pam had the deliver the hardest news I have ever seen her deliver….Barbara’s son had passed away from AIDS in 1998. Hoping to now more about his life, Barbara asked more about his life. Pam was able to contact Mark’s partner, Steven, who shared a few pictures with them. Steven agreed to talk or meet with Barbara to tell them more about her son. I m sure that she will have tons of questions.

Following this sad news, Pam was able to offer a bright light. She had found and already spoken to Jill, the young baby girl, Barbara had placed up for adoption.

Pam called Jill who was too busy to talk. I worried about her hesitation and what that might mean for Barbara and Shannon. When they called her the next day, Jill first sounded a bit reluctant but eventually agreed to meet them. They all agreed to meet the following week in Tuscon. As the meeting got closer, Jill found herself having second thoughts. Jill had learned earlier through the adoption paperwork that her parents felt no remorse for giving their kids up. She always wanted to meet her siblings, but struggled with her emotions for her birth mother. If it wasn’t for Shannon, it may not have happened. Pam counseled Jill to be honest and ask the questions she wanted and needed to know.

Although Jill had her reservations, she agreed to still meet with Barbara. As Barbara spilled her story onto Jill, she hoped that she would understand and possibly find a way to forgive and move past it. Jill still appeared cautious. Then he got to meet Shannon…her sister. As one of three sisters….I can only imagine the silly sister time they have ahead for themselves. Yeah them! I can’t help but feel sad that their brother didn’t have a chance to be apart of it. The sister of course talk almost daily now, but it will take a little more time and care for the walls to come down for Jill and Barbara. I wish them all the best and hope they all find what they are Searching For…

After an intense first case, Searching For’s Pam Slaton needed this light-hearted search! Best selling author, Lisa McMann, wanted desperately to find her childhood friend Paulette. With her career now based around all the stuff she did as a kid, Lisa thinks of her often and hates that they lost touch with one another. Of course, Pam easily found Paulette and handed off the contact information to Lisa. As the phone rang and Lisa spoke, I could almost image how they spoke as teens. They made plans to see each other in their old stomping grounds. As they come together they are as giddy as school girls giggling about how Paulette’s old house is blue. Too cute! Paulette agrees to come to Lisa’s book signing where Lisa does a special shout out to her. Determined to keep in touch…the school girls live on!