I am 56 years old, and until early March, I never knew I had a sister named Teresa.

Teresa was born in 1976, and we share the same father. Estranged from him as she was from an early age, I never knew she existed. Growing up, she was aware of me and assumed I knew of her. Therefore, life moved on, and the years passed.

But in March, my wife, Sandy, and I were having dinner in Sellersburg when Teresa, who just happened to be in the same place, recognized my last name, and then seconds later recognized my first name.

With courage, she approached me and asked me who my father was. A few whirlwind moments later, I was hugging my 39-year old sister I never knew existed.

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For us to meet like this was bizarre for sure, but I truly believe God’s spirit led me to her that night.

Sandy and I tried to eat at three other places before we arrived at Neil’s Fireside Grill, but the wait for a table at each place was close to two hours. When we arrived at Neil’s, the wait was close to 30 minutes.

I wanted to leave, but Sandy insisted we stay. Had we left or had we eaten at any other place that Saturday night, I would have never met Teresa Crotchett, my sister.

In the short time I have known her, she has been a blessing to my life and my family, and I thank God for bringing her and her family into the lives of me and my family.

I wanted to share this story and to give God the credit for leading me to my sister. “There is a time for everything,” Ecclesiastes 3:1.

I was 17 when she was born, and we basically have lived within 25 miles of each other all of our lives. It’s a small world and a big, big world.