My husband’s brother and his family from England have been
visiting for a few days. It’s the first time that I remember having time to
really connect with them and to get to know their two tweens. Although the time
was packed with activities, we had time to enjoy casual, leisurely breakfasts
and meals where we could sit outdoors overlooking the Chesapeake Bay. These
were real treats for them.
It was also the first time that we’d had an opportunity to
get to know our tween niece and nephew. And what fun that was! We watched them
experience some of the “typical US” things, mainly food, that those of us who
live in the US take for granted. On their first night with us, I served
barbeque beef and corn on the cob fresh from the farmers market. My 11 year-old
niece told me that she was a vegetarian. I think that’s pretty normal for girls
that age to declare their vegetarianism. I did; my daughters did as well but
mainly because I was still a vegetarian while they were young. But she was
extremely polite and ate the bun and corn and didn’t complain. There was one
meal where she tried a corn dog because she was fascinated by the name but she
wasn’t impressed.
One of the foods that the kids enjoyed most was Oreos. They
have them in the UK but both seemed to be obsessed with having Oreos and milk.
In fact, they managed to polish off a whole package between them one evening
after I had gone to bed. On their last day, we met my oldest daughter, her
husband and son and we all had lunch at a Caribbean restaurant. The highlight
of the meal was a trip to the ice cream store afterwards to get ice cream –
Oreo chip of course!
My husband and I have neither one been great at keeping
connected across the miles because we both tend to get so caught up in our busy
lives. Now the miles separating our family spans across oceans and continents
(we are talking England & Wales, Australia, Malaysia, Denmark and the US)
so it’s even more difficult. Some of our friends are now spread to even more
countries and a couple of the young people whom I mentored are traveling around
the world. The only way to keep up with them is Facebook and Linkedin.
With this visit of my brother-in-law and his family, I’ve
realized even more the value of the family connection. I know the onus will be
on me to keep the lines of communication open and create more bonds. Technology
helps keep that bond but you just can’t beat spending time together
face-to-face. One new bond that was tentatively created during their trip was
between my grandson and nephew. My grandson is already asking when he can go to
England to visit.
We are now looking forward to the arrival of our goddaughter
from England. She’s just turned 18 and she’s visited New York but only for a
few days. On this trip she’ll be in the US for almost 3 months. Her experiences
will be considerably different from those of our niece and nephew but
everything will be new and exciting. I can’t wait to read her blog and follow
her adventures.
Families are an important part of living – I encourage you
to enjoy yours now!
“To put the world right in order, we must first put the nation in order; to put the nation in order, we must first put the family in order; to put the family in order, we must first cultivate our personal life; we must first set our hearts right.” Confucius
“You don’t choose your family. They are God’s give to you, as you are to them”
Desmond Tutu
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