Hillary Harris hesitated to move into her new home, but when she eventually did, she received the shock of a lifetime.
Welcome Home
When Hillary Harris moved into her new house in Eu Claire, Wisconson, she was warmly welcomed by her neighbors. Heather had to downsize from her previous home, and in this new town, she shared a driveway with her next-door neighbor.
Hello Neighbor
Her next-door neighbor, named Dawn, was kind and quiet. She usually kept to herself, but in person, she was incredibly personable. Little did they know, they had more of connection being just neighbors…
Figuring Things Out
So recently, Heather had discovered that she was adopted when she was a month old. She and her husband Lance were expecting a child, so she needed to contact the hospital about her family health records. She grew up in a loving household, but she never knew that she was adopted until she was much older.
She Has to Know
Heather felt like a large part of her life had been missing for a long time. She never knew how, or why, but she had always known that there was something in her life that nobody was telling her about. Heather became obsessed with figuring out who her biological family was, and where they lived…
Dealing With the Folks
Heather’s adoptive parents were reluctant to let Heather know about her lineage at first. They had always felt slightly uncomfortable about it because they never wanted Heather to feel put out by her biological parents.
The Grand Reveal
Heather’s adoptive parents told her that her father had died recently, and her mother was still alive. Both of them were functional people, happy in their marriage until drug use pulled them over. Within their functional time, they had two children…
Hospital Helps
The hospital that Heather was being treated at had a difficult time obtaining her parent’s health records, but when they did, Heather discovered that she also had two half-sisters in addition to her biological sister.
What to Say
Heather had to do some snooping on Ancestory.com, but when she confirmed her lineage, she discovered that her half-sisters were named Reese and Nancy, and her biological sister was named Dawn…
The Plot Thickens
Specifically, her biological sister’s name was Dawn Johnson. Something about that name struck a chord with Heather, but she was never able to quite put her finger on why it sounded familiar.
Happy Mistakes
Heather abandoned her search for her biological family and focused on preparing for her baby-to-be. That is, until one day, Heather received a piece of mail from her next-door neighbor by accident, and it was addressed to a Dawn Johnson…
Shock and Awe
Heather was completely taken aback from this. Although Johnson is a very common name, something about this event struck Heather as important. She knew that she needed to talk to Dawn about this more.
Reaching Out
Heather texted Dawn to tell her that she had gotten a piece of her mail. Dawn responded and said that she would be over later to pick it up. Heather followed up by asking where Dawn was from, she said she was from Greenwood, Wisconson. That was where Heather was from. With shaky hands, Heather texted back, “What’s your father’s name?…”
Dawn’s Rebuttal
Dawn responded “Wayne Clouse…” Heather immediately texted back and said “Can I call you? We have a lot to talk about.” Dawn was unsure what this meant, but she agreed to talk on the phone.
One Call to Change it All
On the phone, Heather explained that her father was also Wayne Clouse and that she had been adopted when she was only one month old. Dawn was speechless, she responded, “can you come me in our driveway?….”
The Meeting of a Lifetime
Dawn and Heather met in the driveway and they immediately embraced. Choking from the tears, neither sister was able to say anything to the other. They had finally found each other after their entire lives unfolded, they ended up being next-door neighbors.
Life Goes On
Dawn and Heather connected immediately, they shared dinner that night, talking about the lives that they both led after their separate adoptions. The sisters couldn’t have been happier. One beautiful reunion pulled their families together in an instant…
Connecting on a Deeper Level
Heather’s daughter, Stella, took a liking to Dawn right away. After all, she was her biological aunt, and she had never been able to connect with a family member like that before.
Bringing Us Together
Dawn was over at Heather’s house almost every day. Not only were Heather and Dawn sisters, but they also quickly became best friends. Dawn also became well acquainted with Stella, and as their trust built, a beautiful familial relationship grew…
Family Matters
Stella began spending more and more time with Dawn consistently. Dawn hosted birthday parties for her in her larger back yard. There was even one time when Stella stepped on a big splinter and she only trusted Dawn to take it out of her foot.
The Beautiful Turn of Events
If Dawn’s mail didn’t arrive in Heather’s mailbox, this may have never happened. This just goes to show, getting close to your neighbors might open up some incredible things for you, and you might end up meeting a long lost family member.
They’re Not Alone
Heather and Dawn aren’t the only adopted siblings that found each other in their adult lives. As a matter of fact, its actually much more common than one would think. Much like the story of Tom Crew…
Mr. Crew
Tom Crew was the oldest child in his family of two siblings and his mother. His mother left the kids with Tom’s aunt, claiming that she would be back in a couple of days…
Where’d She Go?
Tom’s mother never came back, and he was left to take care of his younger siblings, one was just under a year old, the other was an infant. His aunt never helped much either. Tom, at seven-years-old, was forced to care for two babies.
The Aunt Doesn’t Help
Tom’s aunt left for long periods of time, leaving Tom to fend for his family by himself. One day, Tom came home to find that neither of his siblings was moving, and neither of them had eaten.
Doing His Best
Tom tried to get his siblings to eat, but neither wanted to. Tom eventually wrapped both of his siblings in blankets and walked them three miles to his grandmother’s house.
Grandma’s Intervention
Grandma helped nurse his siblings back to health, and she sent them off to be adopted immediately afterward, she couldn’t take care of them in her old age.
Moving Along
Tom got adopted independently from his siblings, and he ended up growing up in a really kind family. As he got older, he served two tours in Vietnam, and his life got away from him.
As Time Went On
Tom put his former life and siblings in the back of his mind while he was becoming an adult. But, at 55 years old, Tom needed to see his siblings again.
Reaching Out
Tom used Facebook to contact his lost siblings, and they all decided to get together at Tom’s house after 40 years of not seeing one another. They had a ton to talk about after the fact.
Turns Out
Luck has it, all of Tom’s siblings lived very close to one another. They gathered at Tom’s to BBQ, and they discussed their lives following the incident that led to their separation. They all ended up in better places, and they were happy in their adult lives. Now, every month they get together to BBQ at Tom’s, rain or shine.