it's a family thing

Three generations. Mom gave me this statue for Christmas. It shows a grandmother knitting, a mother behind and a child kneeling. I love this statue. I love family.

My family is small. Both my Mother and Father were only children. This meant no aunts, no uncles, no family reunions. The closest I had were great aunts and second cousins that lived in different states. I am not complaining. I loved our small family. Holidays were simple and intimate. However, I always longed for a larger family. Sweetie's family is my own. I have been with them for almost half of my life. This side brought Aunts, Uncles, and the fun of cousins. But now my Brother, Mother, and Me. That was my own little family. That is what was left. That is what we knew. Luckily they live close to me so I see them on a regular basis.

My father was raised by his mother and grandmother. His father left when he was very young. My Nanny raised him as a 40 year old single mother. She was amazingly strong for it. We knew nothing about my paternal grandfather. No history, no pictures, nobody to compare traits to. I love genetics. And I do not mean in a lab coat kind of way. I mean in the kind of way that I can see traits of my mother and father in me - the way I can see so much of my grandmother in me. I love looking at Bug and seeing myself or Sweetie in her. I love the whole idea of inheritable traits and genetic memory.

A couple of weeks ago the most amazing thing happened. I have been composing this most in my mind - wanting the right time and the best words to describe the event. After the grocery store, I came home to find a comment on my blog. The comment was amazing. I have since removed it due to some personal information on it. However, the jest of it is that a woman was searching for my father and found my mother's site. Her husband's father is my father's half brother. As I read the words I freaked out. Sweetie said I acted like I had a treasure map. It is true, only better. Suddenly I had some contact with a missing side of the family. Suddenly I couldn't say I didn't know anything.

My Grandfather had a family before he married my Nanny. There he had my Uncle. My Uncle, as life is funny sometimes, is 27 years older than what my father would be. The even funnier part? My cousin is 3 years older than what my father would be. They are very nice people. I cannot wait to meet them. Cousin J sent me a photo of my Grandpa, Uncle, and cousin taken before my father was born. It was amazing to finally see my father's father in a photograph. She also sent me two other photos of my relatives. One is taken in 1900 and the other, I believe, in 1908.

It is so much to take in. I have more family than I knew. Family is important. Family is amazing. Actually, the internet is amazing. She found us because of a post my mother wrote. I cannot get over that. I love it.