After a night of restless sleep, Sheila Valdez of Lansford awoke Wednesday and groggily took a seat in front of her laptop.

She immediately visited the Lufthansa website to check the status of a flight from Germany to JFK airport in New York. This particular flight contained some very precious cargo.She and her husband, Jim Marblestone, prepared all week for this day. Sheila tirelessly cleaned and tidied the house. Jim painted the whole downstairs of their cozy brick home, including the kitchen, in a soothing robin's egg blue. They wanted to make their home perfect for this very special day.In Lehighton, Sheila's sister, Caryl Valdez, woke up feeling under the weather due to her allergies. The symptoms were soon forgotten as she anticipated the events of the day ahead of her. As she and her husband, Louie, drove to her sister's house, Caryl blasted the radio (much to Louie's dismay) in an effort to relieve some of her pent-up nervous energy.When Caryl arrived, Sheila was again sitting at her laptop, eagerly eyeing the status of the flight from Germany. The precious cargo on that flight was Sheila and Caryl's long-lost sister, Adelheid "Heidi" Muller of Rosengarten-Westheim, Germany. Today they would meet for the first time.Words spark searchToday's meeting was decades in the making. Sheila was just 17 when she learned about her half-sister. About a year after Sheila's mother passed, Sheila came home after a school event and overheard her father say that "he wanted to see his little Heidi again."Although she never confronted her father about the comment, she knew in her heart that her father was referring to another child.The longing to find out about Heidi became stronger as the years passed.She started by reaching out to family members, but her search for information about her father's side of the family was proving to be a daunting task.It wasn't until a cousin from Texas came across a box of old family photos that survived a fire, that Sheila's hunch about Heidi was confirmed.Her cousin sent her a photo of a curly, dark-haired girl with a sweet, smiling face.The German town of Murrhardt was stamped on the photo. The town in Germany proved to be the vital clue in her quest.Sheila remembers that back in the 1950s, her father served in the U.S. Army and was stationed at Schwäbisch Hall, a military base in Germany."He never spoke about his days in the military. I would ask him and he would shut down and become very quiet. From that, I just surmised that Heidi was his child."A first name, a picture of a little girl, and the location of their father while he was in the military were the only clues that Valdez had to the mystery of Heidi.Valdez posted her story and pictures of her father and Heidi on Facebook. She became friends with a man who was searching for people as well, and asked him many questions.He pointed her to a Facebook page called "Old Soldiers," an open group for retired soldiers to share memories.A woman named Daniela Rode, who helps reunite German G.I. babies with their fathers, saw her story and wanted to help.Rode distributed fliers with Heidi's picture in towns near the military base where Dario Valdez served, as well as the town that was stamped on Heidi's picture. No leads turned up.It wasn't until an article was published in a German newspaper that Heidi was found.HeidiHeidi never knew her father as she grew up in Germany. So on Dec. 20, 2012, she was taken aback when her brother discovered an article in the local newspaper that featured a childhood picture of her.Heidi recalls being in her office when her daughter called her and said, "You are in the newspaper.""What am I doing in the newspaper?" she replied with an uneasy laugh.Her daughter explained, "You have sisters in the U.S. that are looking for you."She was not able to speak."All I could do was cry," she said.Heidi received her first email from her newly found half sister that very same day. With tears in her dark eyes she felt "so happy that she had two sisters."Right away the sisters began to make plans to meet. May 21, 2014, would be the day. Heidi was coming to Lansford to meet the sisters she never knew.She didn't sleep a wink the night before her journey to the U.S. and was a bundle of nerves. In the car ride from New York, she turned to her husband, Dieter, and said, "I am so nervous!" Dieter reassuringly replied, "Oh, you can do ALL!"Long-awaitedmeetingSheila's home was filled with busy family members, jittery with nervous energy. Earlier, they received a phone call that Heidi and her husband were near Stroudsburg; any minute now, they should arrive.Jim waited on the front porch, with a camera hung around his neck, closely watching for the street for Heidi and Dieter's rental car.The video camera sat on a tripod in the living room ready for action.Sheila's son held a bouquet of beautifully arranged fresh flowers in his arms. Caryl sat anxiously on a chair on the porch as Sheila stood beside her."That's them!" announced Jim as a silver SUV pulled into the parking space left open in front of their home. As Heidi and Dieter emerged from the car, Caryl welcomed them with a timid "hello."There before Heidi stood the family that she has never known.As she made her way to the front porch steps, Dieter pointed out a sign stating "Welcome Home, Heidi! We Love You!"Tears started to well up in each of the sisters' eyes as Heidi walked up the steps. Warmly, Heidi embraced Sheila.It was a hug that lasted only a few minutes, but each had waited a lifetime to experience.Heidi turned to her other sister, Caryl, and hugged her long and hard, as well. They pulled back and took a moment to look into each other's eyes.It was a look of love that only sisters know. Heidi gently touched her youngest sister's face, tears flowed down their cheeks.Finally, they were all together.Sheila welcomed Heidi into her home as more family members waited to greet her.The three sisters found a seat together on the sofa. Side-by-side, the family resemblance between the women is undeniable.Not many words are exchanged, just loving glances and tears. There are no words for moments like these.The sisters began to catch up on each other's lives. Heidi will be spending 10 days in Lansford getting acquainted with her new sisters and their big family. Family pictures will be shared.Memories, like the Christmas gifts they all received from the grandmother they shared, will be exchanged.Sheila and Caryl have a big surprise up their sleeve for Heidi. They will be introducing Heidi to her cousins from Texas, Liz Sapien and Monica Vallejo.It has been 37 years since Sheila and Caryl have seen them.As Heidi and Caryl sat arm-in-arm on the sofa, Sheila looked at them and said, "I thank God and I thank Daddy for giving me another sister."Heidi whispered, "He's here."Sheila nodded her head."I know. I feel him too. I believe that he is happy. I think he wanted to see this all along or I would have never received the picture of you."That picture gave me the only opportunity in the world to find the little girl named Heidi."