My Family, My Favorite

I got to see my family today! I’m talking grandmas, grandpas, aunts, uncles, cousins, and even new wives. It was great.

Grandma Kay and Grandpa Dean (Dad’s parents) hosted my welcome-home get-together at their house in Madison. We brought the ham (my request, because I ate pig even less than cow this year), and the grandmas, grandpas, aunts, uncles, and cousins brought the potato salad, fruit salad, chips and dips, and ice cream. We had quite a feast.

But that’s not what excited me, of course (although I wasn’t complaining either). I was just thrilled to see my family.

I never was much for family gatherings. Our family is the one that moved away, so for us a family gathering almost always means traveling, and that means an early morning followed by a long day in the car, only a short time at Grandma’s, and a late night getting home. But this time I was ready for it and happy to do it. It did mean getting up early, and I did fall asleep in the car, arriving at Grandma’s groggy and a tiny bit moody.

But once the set-up was complete, the sari was in place (I was not about to ride in the car for two hours in that mess of material!), and the rest of the family began to arrive, I was awake and alert and amazed at how happy it made me to see everyone.

We caught up over all that food. I got to share some of my experiences face-to-face, and I got to hear the news that I’d missed while away. This year, two family members got married, and two graduated college. One started driving, another started high school, and another began a new career. Two families bought houses, and into one family a new baby will soon be born. There were a few surgeries and a few illnesses, an accident or two and some other mishaps; but most of the news was good, and it was even better hearing it directly from my family members’ mouths.

It was a tiring day for me (partly because I insisted on wearing that darn sari – although it is easier to wear in a cooler climate), but it was also energizing in a way I did not expect. Of course, I love my family, but never have I felt so close to them. And that’s ironic, since I’ve just been farther away from them than ever. But, as much of a cliché as it is, it is true that you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone. This year, because I didn’t have to go to family gatherings in Madison, I missed them; and I missed the people that are always at them. It finally occurred to me, while I was halfway around the world, how important to me my family is. And I will never, ever forget it.