We've been very lucky this summer in that we've been able to
meet up with family that we've not really been able to spend much time with
before. That sounds a bit odd, so let me
explain that our immediate family tree is quite small but the branches of the
bigger tree are spread very wide. Our
summer holiday this year included a visit to Canada specifically to visit
relatives that we might otherwise only contact by Christmas card or occasional
email – quite a trip but definitely worth the effort.
Now, I know that just because someone is family doesn't mean
that you’re going to get on with them, but that’s where we've been really
lucky. It occurred to me, whilst
standing in my Canadian cousin’s kitchen on our first evening, chatting about
everything and nothing as we prepared dinner together, that it was just like
meeting up with an old friend – in this case, one that I hadn't seen for more years
than I care to remember. Out of the
window I could see my husband and big daughter sitting at the garden table, laughing
and joking with other members of the family who had made a special effort to
come over to meet us for a family party whilst we were visiting. My cousin’s three-year-old twins, who we were
warned were terribly shy with newcomers, were both holding tightly to small
daughter’s hands as they showed off their garden and were reluctant to let go
even when it was time to eat.
Small daughter has always found it easy to make
friends. When my husband’s cousins from
Wales came to visit last weekend, small daughter and her cousin had disappeared
to play even before we had finished our greetings on the driveway. Big daughter now joins in with the adult
conversations, absorbing different viewpoints and cultural ideas as she
develops her own view of the world. It
has been like discovering a whole new set of friends and it’s been lovely to
think that these people are part of our family.
The connection makes me think of a spider’s web, stretching
out across the globe. Such a tiny thread
that holds us all together, but strong enough to withstand the buffeting and
turmoils of life. I like it. It reminds me that I’m never alone, that
there’s always someone who “belongs” to me somewhere in the world, whether I’m
in regular contact with them or not – and, perhaps, always a few extra places
to visit on my holidays!
I hope that when the girls are older, they will be able to
keep up the contacts for themselves. The
web will always grow and change as the family changes, and I like to think that
my girls will always know that there is someone in the world who “belongs” to
them too. Suddenly, the world is not
such a big place.
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