Life fast forwards sometimes. That whole “where did the time go” thing we feel a bit more as we live a bit more. Photographs of faces gone, changed, and even forgotten for a while do it. Reunions are merely catalysts for epic dosages of those hole mackerel moments. Life moves at its own pace often much faster than we wish and even faster than we can handle. Time waits for no man. Bang. Zip. Boom. Time marches on.
We connect with people and then fate has us part. Them headed in one direction, us in another. It might be for weeks. It can even be for years. With acquaintances, the gaps in meetings are expected and handled as such. With family those times between hi how are ya and has it really been that long are thought to be bridged somehow and lesser. As if blood connection forced meetings and moved encounters from happenstance to we really have to get together. Family and those ties are supposed to bind more tightly.
That was not the case with a cousin in law of mine and myself. We met decades ago. Me a young adult ready to conquer the world and her barely a teenager hanging out with her cousin and her cousin’s boyfriend. A trip to Pennsylvania complete with the now stereotypical hippie-ized, barely running, VW bug that consumed oil in equal proportion to gas. Her visit to that long ago first home away from home in North Carolina. A few family gatherings with back yard pools and more fun than we realized at the time. Then fate had me move around the world as I grew up and her grow up and move around the world in her way. My family expanded and then expanded to the next generation as her family expanded to the cusp of the next generation…only because I had about a decade head start. We only heard of each other as family did the so and so is doing such and such updates as families do.
I wondered. Was she happy and fun as she had been? Did she find her joy? Did life turn out as good for her as her cousin, now my wife, and I wished it did? Life had us meet a few weeks ago after decades of near misses. Life showed me her fast forward. The cute little kid that was just fun to have around was a wife of one and mother of two. She was all grown up.
Life’s fast forward was wonderful in this case. She grew up and understands love as well as family. She is lovely from the inside all the way to the outside. It had been years and we had but hours. Sweetly, it was enough time to see all was well. She was content in who she was and loved her family in ways few dare to. She lived well and happily each day and it showed just by her being her and her being here for a while. Nice when life turns out well for people that are good people back when and even better people when life jumps to the now with a jolt. I am glad she is who she is.
Happy Birthday, Trish
Let’s get together again soon, Gil
P.S. Thanks for helping remind me to write things for folks like Trish and you, Laurie. I catch you next year. Deal?
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