The definition of REAL

If you read my blog yesterday, you know that I ended rather vaguely. A conversation with students has uncovered the fact that the other woman at our school who shares my last name of Jagodowski is, in fact, my sister. We have also discovered that we do not look alike because we are not biologically related. We were not adopted from an exotic country, rather right here in Massachusetts. I am older by five years.

The last question I was asked by a student was, "So, she's not your REAL sister?" My response? She is absolutely my REAL sister.

What is real? Merriam Webster offers several definitions, one of which suits my situation perfectly:

• "not artificial, fraudulent, or illusory : genuine <real gold>; also : being precisely what the name implies <a real professional>"

There is nothing fraudulent or illusory about our relationship. We are two girls, raised by the same parents. We are sisters. Merriam Webster's definition of sister does not state that biology is part of this classification either. 


I know that not everyone agrees with me on this classification of a real sibling or real parent, but to me, real is about more than common DNA when it comes to family. 

In my heart, I always knew that I am where I am supposed to be in life. I am meant to be a part of this family, have Lindsay as my sister and be living the life that I am. I am a firm believer in fate and intentional paths in life, even if we aren't sure where we are headed exactly. That doesn't mean I haven't wondered about this other side to my life, the fact that I was put up for adoption and that somewhere out there are people who I mostly likely resemble physically. 

There's no denying that I have always been curious about my background, and in my mid-twenties I embarked on a search for answers about where I came from, who I was biologically related to and, at the same time, get some practical information like a medical history. 

What I found in this journey was more than I expected ...