Dear Half sister,

I hate that that is even the thing that I have to call you. You’re not “half” there for me, you’re not “half” part of the family, I don’t love you “half.” You are my sister, plain and simple. We may not have the same mom, but you have always been my sister and always will be.

Growing up, I know we weren’t super close. With the age gap, you always took on more of the role of “cool aunt” for me. But, now that I’m in my twenties, I love that we have a sisterly relationship. I love that. I love that we get to spend time together as adults, I love that I can talk to you about anything and that I get to tap into your endless pool of life knowledge, I love that I know that I can call you any time of day or night and you’ll be there for me.

As you know, we have another sister that I can’t ignore. I love her, and so do you. And you know that she is my “full” sister. I don’t know if it was hard for you, after moving out and having your own life, to watch us growing up in a house with dad and our mom. I hope you never felt like you weren’t a part of our family, though. We may have had different experiences growing up with dad, but he was yours first. We may have had more time with him over the years, but you are still his firstborn, and you are still just as much his daughter as we are. Our family has three daughters; not two and a half.

It’s always funny trying to explain to people how I have a sister that is “so much older than me.” And, 24 years is definitely not your average sibling age gap. That definitely played into the “cool aunt” thing. Now that we’re both adults, I hope that I made you proud. I’m sure that it’s been interesting for you to watch me grow up, but I hope that I never disappointed you. With your more authoritative role over me, you were definitely someone I sought to impress. You may be older, but I’m proud of how you’ve grown. As an adult, you’re definitely someone to whom I look up. When I want some non-judgmental but sound advice, I know who to call. When I need a break from school, I know you’re 15 minutes away and will let me come play with my nephew. I know that in any situation, you’re only a phone call away. How can society want me to call you my “half” sister? You’re always 100 percent there for me, you’re always 100 percent someone who I admire, you’re always 100 percent my sister.

So, here’s to the destruction of that awful word: half. You may be my half sister, but I love you a whole lot, and that will never change!