It’s National Siblings Day

Today is National Siblings Day; a day to show love and appreciation to your brothers and sisters. It's a unique "holiday" for me because I was only introduced to my two sisters and brother a few years back.

I was never close to my biological father (I use the word father loosely) and didn't even know I had two sisters until I was around 10 years old. After my mom told me I had two older sisters, it still took me years to find the courage to reach out to them.

I had been an only child my whole life, so the day I decided to find them changed me forever. It was surprisingly easy to find two strangers I had never met with no information besides an old police report on my father. About $8 and 10 min of searching later and I had everything I needed. Somewhat scary to know how easy one can be found.

When I made that call, I didn't quite know what to expect. Did they know I existed? What if they didn't want me in their life? Those questions plus many more raced through my mind as the phone rang.

I remember how surreal the moment was when my sister Cheri picked up the phone. For the first time in my life, I was talking to a sibling. Another person, who I did not know about but shared my blood. All the sudden the size of my family doubled. I had another sister which I connected with; I was also an uncle. Most surprising, I had a brother in whom I did not know about. We all connected right away and still keep in contact to this day.

Finding my siblings was one of the most gratifying experiences of my life. I learned a lot about myself from family history to quirky things about my personality. Even though I don't get to see them as much as I'd like, I cherish my siblings. So take a moment and reach out, it's national siblings day after all.