FARGO-They both worked for a time in a local department store, crossing paths occasionally; Wendy Novak was in customer service, Heather Swenson managed a cosmetics counter.

But not once did it occur to either of them that they might be mother and daughter.

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"I just remember her, she was always the nicest," said Novak, Swenson's biological mother. "And I remember her smile."

Now, the two women have some catching up to do on this Mother's Day, because, except for the day in 1980 when Novak had a baby and gave her up for adoption - and those few unrealized workplace encounters - she hadn't seen her daughter in 36 years.

The two recently met face to face at Lutheran Social Services of North Dakota in Fargo, the agency that facilitated the adoption. The emotional reunion happened Jan. 21 - Swenson's birthday - when Novak was joined again with the child she had named "Jessica."

"I just grabbed her and hugged her so tight," said Novak, 55, of Moorhead. "It was awesome, just unreal."

A birthday celebration that followed was attended by the couple who adopted Swenson, Stan and Mary Krogh, along with many of her newfound family members. Swenson, 36, of Harwood, has gained a set of grandparents, two siblings, numerous aunts and uncles, nieces and nephews.

"It's instant love for all of them," Swenson said.

"I'm excited to have Christmas together and Thanksgiving. We're going to have to really coordinate everything now!" she said, laughing.

The sentiment from her birth mother is equally enthusiastic.

"We feel like we've known each other forever, my mom and dad, my sister, my children feel that way," Novak said.

The process of melding the newfound families has been smooth - almost too much so.

"It's so easy, like I feel a little guilty sometimes because there's a lot of people that don't have good experiences with adoptions and finding their parents," Swenson said.

Tough decisions

From day one, Novak always knew she would someday search for her firstborn.

Pregnant at 19 following her first year at Mayville State University, Novak came home to Fargo to confer with her parents about whether she would raise the child on her own or give her up for adoption.

"Whatever you decide, we'll support you," she said they told her.

A few days after giving birth and after "a lot of prayers," Novak made a decision - that her baby "needed a mom and a dad."

"I just can't get over how courageous and selfless she is, to even make that decision at 19," Swenson said.

Since there weren't "open" adoptions in the 1970s, Novak didn't know much about the adoptive couple - only that they were of German and Norwegian heritage and that it would be their first child. Based on information from LSS, she figured the baby would grow up in a community somewhere in western North Dakota.

Novak always kept her contact information in the adoption file at LSS current in case her daughter someday decided to look for her. Then about a year ago, after learning it was OK for her to look for her daughter, she requested the paperwork to start the search.

That's when a new wave of emotions hit.

"I want to do this, but 'Whoa, what am I doing?' " she said.

The paperwork sat untouched until last fall, when Novak's sister-in-law challenged her to do it. She turned the form in and discovered that Swenson had once requested paperwork to search for her, as well - and plans for a meeting were in motion.

A familiar date

As they exchanged emails and photos, the two women realized they had worked together in the same store and lived in the same community for more than 30 years.

A celebration was in order and Swenson suggested everyone gather on her birthday. That was perfect for Novak, because her other two grown children, son Christopher and daughter Larissa, had celebrated that date since they were young, knowing they had another sibling somewhere out there.

"They're over the top, still," Novak said.

On this Mother's Day, Swenson plans to spend time with the woman who raised her and with the woman who gave birth to her.

"Even though it took 35 or 36 years, it was always our prayer that we'd find her, and we did," Novak said.