Missing Someone She's Never Met...

 The words were beautiful and poignant and perfect for today. My sister would turn 56-years old today, but she's no longer with us. I woke to a post from her half-sister, Kathy. What makes the words more beautiful is her half-sister never met Tara, not in this life, anyway.

From her post, you'd think they grew up together.

We met Kathy after my sister passed away. In a bittersweet coincidence, my sister put in the mail an Ancestry.Com DNA kit the morning she suffered a stroke, a stroke from which she never recovered. Had she not done that, our family might never have met Kathy. The DNA results came back and we found Kathy, my sister's half-sister lived only an hour away. Since me and all of my siblings are adopted, and my sister's family is from California, it's incredible she had a half-sibling who lived so close. Kathy's been part of our family gatherings ever since. She's become a part of my niece and nephew's family, acting as a de facto mother to my sister's children and grandchildren.

But, if you think about it, it makes sense that many of those wonderful qualities found in my sister can also be found in her big sister. Genetics can be funny that way. 

Today, we all miss our little sister, those who knew her all her life, and those who never met her. I so wish my sister could have met Kathy...they would have been the best of friends. From the words expressed today, I can tell they already are.