Miracles. That’s only something that happens on Hallmark movies right? That may be true unless you’re me. If you’re me, at the ripe age of 26, you’ll be standing in the front of a classroom when you answer your phone and hear the words “you have a sister! A big sister! Her name is Stephanie and she is 5 years older than you.” What!? How does one go over 26 years without knowing half of me is living only four hours away? How does one take this kind of news? Well I embarrassingly screamed with joy and announce it to my entire class of college students. I went home and stayed up all night Google searching Stephanie. I had her phone number but I was too terrified to contact her. I was terrified of being rejected, or her not wanting to be a part of my life, as that’s very common in adoption families, but the opposite happened. The second I heard her voice on the other end of the phone the next morning, tears of joy ran down my face. We both cried and talked for hours. A few weeks later we were able to meet face to face for the first time, and it was as if a piece of my heart that I had always been missing was put back where it belonged. She made me feel whole. The moment she left felt like half of my heart left too. A month later she came down again to meet our sister, Kibee. Kibee is a ward of the state living in a group home for special needs. “I’ve known about Kibee all my life but I knew she was special needs in a home and I’d never get to meet her,” Stephanie said. However, it happened, and we were all reunited- 27 years in the making- standing in the same room for the first time. Adoption, foster care, abusive homes, broken families, new families, though loving never felt complete. It always felt like a piece of my heart was missing. The moment Stephanie, Kibee, and I stood in one embraced hug, my heart felt truly whole for the first time. The day was magical realizing what all we had in common and how miles a part and never meeting didn’t change the fact we had the same wacky quirks. As the evening came to an end and we all departed once more, I know that once missing piece of my heart was my sisters. I felt my heart go 2 different directions when they left. I never would have thought spitting in to a tube and shipping it in a box was going to result in having 3 sisters together for the first time in almost 3 decades for the holidays. That it would lead to this life changing event to make my heart complete. I no longer feel like part of me is missing, and I am now complete for Christmas for the first time. That’s my Christmas miracle. For more on my life story, journey, and craziness that is my life, join us on Instagram @charthebigstar.
Annie Dodson
Keeping Up With the Dodsons
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