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I know it may sound silly to some, but ever since I was a young child, I wondered why they decided to invent the airplane.  I mean, common sense tells us they invented it to get us from- point A to point B. Yes I know that of coarse, but if the inventors knew that planes would rip generations of families apart, sending them to different countries all over the world, would they have continued to do so?

What I mean by this is, I often times think of my family members who span many countries, left behind when my ancestors came to America.  How did they get by? Did they feel immense loss after seeing their family go away, only to return and visit every now and then, but never to return permanently?  Are they struggling now?  Do they miss us as much as we miss them?  Do the recent generations even know about us?  Or are we lost to them ever since we crossed over the vast landscapes?

Many of these thoughts churn through my mind, on occasion.  Ever since I was a child, I hoped that I would someday get a sibling to call my own.  Unfortunately, that dream never came true, but I often feel the need to be surrounded by family.  I have family dotted here and there throughout America and many different countries around the world.  But, I sometimes daydream what life would be like if we all lived in the same state or country.  We could all live near each other and get to know family members we’ve never met before, we could have our kid(s) grow up together.  Being like our own little community within the community.

There’s just something about a family gathering, the laughs, the food, the inside jokes, that really just can’t be detailed adequately with words.  The feeling of being loved immensely, surrounded by folks who understand you, understand your beliefs, your thoughts, and where you come from.

Even if a person sits down to a cup of tea with a plateful of goodies, doing it alone is very different than to really sit down and enjoy the moment with your family around you.

I guess most people who grew up in large households couldn’t wait to get out of that situation and find a calm and peaceful life after that.  Don’t get me wrong, I do like my peace and quiet, but I also want to have countless family members around me, so we could celebrate every fun occasion together, go out places together and the whole shebang.

I even have one great example that I’d like to share with all of you… I have a great Aunt who lives overseas and her husband comes from a very large family.   They all decided long ago that they didn’t want their kids to grow up separated and not know each other, so every month the entire family shows up at one person’s house.  They all eat, laugh, talk, share advice, and just have fun in a laid back atmosphere.  The next month, they all go to someone else’s home and do the same.  They’ve done this practice month after month, year after year, and I truly believe that the family is closer nit and more understanding of each other, due to it.

The guys all get together watch sports, talk about the latest news headlines, or what have you.  While they watch the kids at play.  The women go to the kitchen and help the lady of the house prepare the enormous meal it takes to feed all the guests.

But, at the end of the day, everyone feels satisfied and fulfilled, connected to every family member and they don’t feel overwhelmed by any of the tasks they did that day, because it was a group effort.  Several people prepared the cooking, several people set the table, several people set the food out, several people watched the kids, several people did the dishes, several people made the tea and coffee, then set out the desserts, and so on.  It’s just like a little ant community.  Everyone knows their roles, and whomever the host is at the party, that particular month, they’re the Queen.

These thoughts fill me with immense bittersweet emotions because I wish for this for myself and for my family, and yet we don’t have the opportunity to do so now, with our family living so far away from us, in different locations.  And that does somewhat pain me.

But, I know what our goals are, and I’m hoping that at some point, when my kids are on the verge of growing up, that they will get the opportunity to experience an experience such as the one I just mentioned, and they’ll have never remembered their lives before it.

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