To say I had a difficult childhood would be an understatement. It was rough. Growing up as an only child was lonely, and it still is well into adulthood. Having a sibling to call, who knows my personality, understands my humor, and quirks, would be nice. Having someone I can share secrets with, who wouldn’t share them with another soul, seems comforting. A sibling by your side during difficult times would probably make hard times easier, if that makes any sense.

I have two granddaughters who are a year and a few months apart. They came to spend a week with me for the very first time. It was the longest they’ve been away from their parents. My older granddaughter really took care of and comforted her little sister. Together they leaned on each other and comforted each other when one would miss home. It warmed my heart so much, and it made me so thankful they had each other to lean on. It did make me think; If I had close siblings, some of the difficult times I faced would have been easier.

I grew up as an only child, but I am not an only child. In fact, I have four siblings. Three on my father’s side and one on my mother’s. Growing up, I only knew of two siblings on my father’s side, and my brother on my mom’s side came along when I was 16. I left home at 17, so we weren’t close at all. We tried to build a bond, but he later proved to me that he couldn’t be trusted several times over.

My mom and dad divorced when I was three. They both remarried. My father had two kids with his new wife. Growing up, my mom always told me about a sister that he had before me with another woman. I asked my dad on many occasions about this supposed daughter, and he would always say my mom was lying. He swore that he didn’t have another daughter. My mother insisted that it wasn’t a lie and always told me to look up this girl’s name on Facebook, which I did but was never able to find her. I really did not know who to believe because both of my parents have lied and deceived me my whole life. I didn’t put a whole lot of effort into finding her because I really thought my mother was trying to play games with my emotions.

It wasn’t until after my mother’s death in 2020 that I received a message on my 23&Me account from a woman saying she was my sister.

Stay tuned if you would like to read more about what happened next.

Click on the image to continue reading this story