Lucky

There's something that some of you may not know. I've only known my sister for about 4 1/2 years.
TMOC and I call her Lucky. We found each other in February 2002 after what had been for me, a 22 year search.
I first heard of my sister when I was 11. My Nanie let the secret out one night when I was there for an over night visit. I was astounded. Shocked. This was what I had always wanted. A big sister.
I would dream about what she was like, where she lived, who she was. I searched phone books, wrote letters, made phone calls. I even went to a psychic. For years, I got no where.
Life went on, for me, and for Lucky. I didn't know where she lived, knew nothing about her, except one thing. I loved her.
It's funny how you love someone that you've never met. I waited for the day that we would meet,the day that it would all come together. I waited, and waited.
We both got married, had babies, and got divorced. She was always on my mind. I thought of her the day that 1st daughter was born. I wondered if she had children of her own. I thought of her on Christmas, every year on her birthday. I wondered if she was happy, where she was, did she even know about me, and TMOC.
In 1999, Colorado experienced such a tragedy that it sent shock waves around the world. I watched the Columbine footage on T.V,with my Dad, over the phone.
"Dad, she could be there, her kids could be there." I thought that she could a teacher, maybe I had nieces or nephews there.
I had no reason to think that Lucky was in Colorado. No reason to think that she was anywhere but in Canada, where she had been born. I prayed, for the students and teachers at Columbine, and for my lost sister.
On September 11, 2001, I watched, along with the rest of the world, the terrifying footage of the World Trade Center being attacked. My thoughts once again went to my sister. Was she in New York? Was she safe? Could she have been on one of those ill fated planes?
It strenghtened my resolve to find her. I went to work with a vengance. I left no stone unturned this time. I needed to know once and for all. I needed my sister.
I've seen a lot of reunion stories over the years. I watched every one that I could. Every episode of Jenny Jones, Montel, Oprah, Sally Jessie....you name it. I knew that not every reunion had a happy ending. I knew friends that had their own stories of lost family members. It didn't always end with one big, happy, family. I knew that. I also knew that with us, it would be different.
I found some adoption sites on the web. There were so many, and you had to be registered at the right one...But, which one was the right one?
Christmas came and went that year, and my sister was never far from my thoughts. I had no phone call, no e mail, no nothing.
In February, I found a new site. 24 hours after I registered, I recieved an e mail.
It was the news that I had waited 22 years for. I had found my sister.
The world stopped spinning, my breath caught in my throat. It was the news that I had been waiting for, news that I knew would change my life forever.
Our first contact was via e mail. There was so much to tell,so much that we both wanted to know. She had 2 kids, a boy and a girl. We had both been divorced, from men with the same name. She DID live in Colorado, and was very close to Columbine. She was a teacher. She had in-laws in New York.
The best part was, she was exactly like I knew that she would be. Smart, and beautiful, funny ,and kind,with a heart as big as her smile. I love her so.
I love her in a way that I never thought possible. She is so much more than a sister, more than a friend, more than I could ever have hoped for. I love my niece and nephew, and my brother-in-law, even though we've never met. I know them in my heart. Of course I do. They've been there all along.