When Dorothy Brownlow(Dori) returned from Honduras with all of her baby gear but no baby, she wondered if she would ever be able to find a healthy baby to adopt as a 38-year-old single mom. Shortly after that she took a second trip to Washington D.C. with just a brief case and a week later she returned with her first adopted child, Matthew.

  Dori knew it wasn't going to be easy to find a healthy baby to adopt, but she had decided that she wanted to raise a family. "I had a feeling I wasn't going to have a family the traditional way and I wasn't getting any younger," says Dori. "I hadalways had the idea of adopting kids either way."

Once in Washington D.C., the agency reviewed her paperwork and asked her if she was ready to take home an African-American boy. Startled sheremembers wondering what to think. "Now I only remember bringing Matthew home on the Fourth of July," says Dori with a pleasant smile. Just then Matthew, age 6 now, comes screeching around the corner like a cat running from a dog. "Mom what time are we leaving for soccer?" (click right arrow to continue)