What does being able to seeing your wireless network mean?

Question

is it the wireless signal with the bars like a graph?

Answer 1

it shows if your network is in range, and how good your signal is from your router to your wireless device

Answer 2

Essentially yes (the wireless signal with the bars like a graph) - and you should be able to see the SSID (if it is broadcast).

If those bars are not your network but someone else's - then you aren't "seeing" yours.  So focus on the SSID appearing in the list, and then the signal strength you get from that.