FIFTEEN - Being a "Little Sister" for the first time in my life

My BIG BROTHER STEVE

Getting to know my BIG brother Steve

Once I knew for sure that the DNA match was for my Brother Steve, we started chatting on the phone. I assumed he lived in the USA, and was shocked to learn that Steve had been born right here in Toronto, same place as my sister Tina and I.  All those years we were searching in the Wrong damn place! I spoke to him for the first time during the first week of August. When I asked where he lived Now, he said Vancouver....Another shock! A few months earlier I had booked a short visit to Vancouver to visit family...would be there in 2 weeks....Did Steve want to meet...YES he DID!

The YING and YANG of discovery

How strange to meet your BIG brother when he is 68 and his Little sister (me) is 64 years old.

There was Sadness in the meeting...all the years lost, and the Biggest was my sister had passed away 9 years earlier. Tina would have been Thrilled that we found Steve.  And then of course, there was the fact that our mom was AWOL in Both our lives.

"BUT" there was also the BIG Happiness WOW factor....I finally found my BROTHER! 

Nothing else mattered, we found each other and everything else was in the PAST. I was more fortunate than Steve, because I always knew about HIM. Poor Big Brother Steve had NO idea about Tina and I, or many facts about our mom. ( he was told his mom was "NORA JENNINGS" )

MEETING for the FIRST time in our 60's

It's a strange feeling of worry, excitement and a bit of fear in the anticipation of meeting a sibling for the first time. Steve's partner SUE recorded our first hug and allowed us to prattle on like we knew each other for decades. I brought Steve some documents and photos. It's kind of a shock to learn my brother Steve has never seen a picture of his mother....almost surreal. Here I was upset that I had only 3 wedding photos, and here my brother had NEVER seen her face.

We sat at the restaurant going over all the documents etc and I tried to remember any little tidbit to share with Steve. I could tell he "Needed" to know Everything.

It was comforting to know that the biggest hurdle of finding each other was done. It is not just a NEW page for Both of us, it is a new BOOK. We can put a Positive spin on everything from this point on!