Dear old Atticus seems to possess a proclivity for getting me lost on dirt roads - at the most inopportune times. This time, I'd meant to stop by Ordinary Guy and pick up some notes, and we instead (in addition) ended up taking a drive into The Hills. My personalised tour turned into a 'let's see where this road goes', until of course, we realised, it probably never ended. Ordinary Guy insists that we were not lost - but we reached a place with its own post box and everything! - and a school in the middle of the middle of the middle of nowhere, which he didn't even know existed (and he's supposed to know that place like the back of his hand)...which proves my whole lost theory pretty much I think. In all honesty, I didn't mind being lost one bit - in fact, it was kind of fun (he somehow makes everything fun), but I had time constraints and it wasn't the smartest thing in the world to do when I was supposed to be back at the house within the half an hour. I don't think I'd mind getting lost again really - you know how I love my adventures - just some other day, in some other car, at some other time...
And then, I had a family reunion to attend. Now, as I've said, my family is massive. In the small town we live in, I'm probably related to half the people here. 150 people attended the reunion, all from different parts of the world, and this was just a quarter of a quarter of my family - my mother's mother's mother's side. We arrived fashionably late, due to my afternoon spent hitting the books and immediately were pulled into the fold of hugs and kisses and hand shakes. The evening unravelled like ribbons of memories, and speeches were made and games were played and food was served, and good nature was sprinkled about like confetti. It was an evening to remember, full of laughter and sharing and even a little sadness when we remembered those who were no longer with us. I'm glad we had this family reunion. I'm glad I have a family like mine - despite the little drama's and small scandals and our differences...it feels good to feel as if I belong to something larger than myself. That's what I want for my one-day-future-children...to know their roots and know their branches and know the leaves that make up their family tree. I want them to be able to have those memories and laughter and I suppose even a bit of sadness (that comes with the territory) of by-gone days one day. This whole weekend, beginning from Eid, made me realise that that's what I want for them: to feel included in something, to belong, to have a place and a group of people to call their own. I want them to have a childhood filled with aunts and uncles and cousins and good food and good times..."Family means no one is ever forgotten or left behind".
And then, I had a family reunion to attend. Now, as I've said, my family is massive. In the small town we live in, I'm probably related to half the people here. 150 people attended the reunion, all from different parts of the world, and this was just a quarter of a quarter of my family - my mother's mother's mother's side. We arrived fashionably late, due to my afternoon spent hitting the books and immediately were pulled into the fold of hugs and kisses and hand shakes. The evening unravelled like ribbons of memories, and speeches were made and games were played and food was served, and good nature was sprinkled about like confetti. It was an evening to remember, full of laughter and sharing and even a little sadness when we remembered those who were no longer with us. I'm glad we had this family reunion. I'm glad I have a family like mine - despite the little drama's and small scandals and our differences...it feels good to feel as if I belong to something larger than myself. That's what I want for my one-day-future-children...to know their roots and know their branches and know the leaves that make up their family tree. I want them to be able to have those memories and laughter and I suppose even a bit of sadness (that comes with the territory) of by-gone days one day. This whole weekend, beginning from Eid, made me realise that that's what I want for them: to feel included in something, to belong, to have a place and a group of people to call their own. I want them to have a childhood filled with aunts and uncles and cousins and good food and good times..."Family means no one is ever forgotten or left behind".
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