REUNION!!!!

top left : Lisa, gran and Kerry
bottom photo: top, JP, Natalia, Tessni Bottom row: Brian and Louisa, Lisa, Kerry holding Shanni
Johan, Kerry's husband

The family missing is Shirley, Trevor, Vicky and Jessie, who live in Cape Town


From the time my children were very young I tried to instil in them a strong bond for one another. So often we grow up, marry, leave home, leaving too all the memories we had of our siblings during school days, dating, - we fought and loved together too.

Then guess what, we marry and do not see one another for another 25 years! We have no idea what kind of lives our sibilings have, the traumas they have had to face, knowing their children as they grew, and the closeness is gone from us and they have become cleaved (as it should be) to someone else and formed a new family with its own identity.

I hardly know my sister Ann in England other than what our mom tells me (thank goodness for her), she has no children but married recently to a wonderful man, and he must be wonderful if he has made her happy! A very picky young child she was and I guess she stayed that way!

Then there is Colleen, a little younger. I had more contact with her and did know her children for some time. But we visited one another mainly as we were the only 2 in the family who presented our mom with her only 2 grandsons within 5 months of one another! Colleen is now in Dubai as her husband is an engineer, and they have moved around the world most of their married lives. If it were not for MOM, I really wonder whether we would even by in touch today. Very, very sad, as we are blood and family is very important. There was a large age difference between myself and Ann and Colleen. I was in class 1 when Ann was born and they had this kind of click which did not include me, I felt it was my right to tease and torment them, especially Ann. I was the BOSS. When I married they were both in school still speaking their secret language, and when I had my first child, Shirley, they were STILL in school. So you see, they were close and still are, and I kind of float around out in space trying to remember them as we grew up! In my minds eye I see (don't laugh) myself and my mom in a bubble, Ann and Colleen and mom in another bubble, and a large bubble encompassing all of us. How strange the mind is.

I am sorry that we did not keep up for all those years, but since the internet and emailing is now available, and my daughter in Middleeburg introduced me to it, I am getting to know them, I receive pics from them, news, it is wonderful, I feel a part of their lives, and there are no more clicks!

I partly succeeded with my children. They too live far from one another, with 2 in Cape Town and 2 in Middleburg, so there is still a close connection. The girls are very close in age which has helped, having 3 teenage daughters in the home at one time was harrowing. We had an endless stream of boys, the coffee, sugar and milk disappeared before my very eyes too.

Then Brian came along some 11 years later, he was a gentle and kindhearted little boy, he had many friends so there were sleepovers etc.

They grew up and yes, you guessed it, 2 married and started families with its own essence, and the sisters grew away to a certain degree from the others. Lisa, who is the mother of Natalia, was married for a short while, but is now an excellent single mom, Natalia started school last week. See my last post! Brian and Louisa are presenting me with my 7th grandchild.

Now, if you will take a look at the photos at the top of the post, you will see something that I will not forget for the rest of my life. Lisa made a huge effort, stretched her finances, and went to visit her sibilings and her grandmother whom she has not seen for 10 years. I was probably more excited than they all were! She and her gran have not seen one another for 10 years, so gran has never seen this great grandchild (Natalia). Kerry, she has not seen Kerry for 10 years either.

So, the last time Lisa saw Kerry (and there is only l year between them) was when Tessni was l year old, she is 11 now. So she does not know JP, and certainly not 17 month old Shanni. Kerry in her turn has only seen photos of Natalia.

Lisa and Brian were always close over the years and he was 14 the last time she saw him, and did not recognise this tall hairy man who was her little brother!

I hope they do not leave it for another 10 years, that would be very sad, but now that the ball has started rolling, my prayer for you all is that you all go that extra mile to share old memories, and I know you have plenty! and give the coursins a chance to know one another.

Well done Lisa, brave girl to travel from Cape Town to Middleburg with a child.

That's the spirit!