Reconnecting

When I saw him walk in the door, I recognized him immediately. It was my uncle Ralph. I hadn't seen him in many, many years. We were all kids when we last saw him. I was really happy to see him. His eyes lit up too. We hugged. We ended up having a very emotional heart to heart talk.

You see, when we grew up, our parents stopped allowing us to see relatives. So we grew up not knowing cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents. As strange as it was for us, it became pretty normal for us. What I didn't know was that these relatives always wondered about us and wanted to have a relationship with us. What I found out in the last few years, as I slowly reconnected with some of my aunts and uncles is that it was painful for them to be cut off from us.

I didn't expect to see him there. I also didn't expect that I would see his ex-wife and his children. This Thanksgiving ended up holding more blessings than I could have imagined. I know what it is to be lonely and sad during holidays. I don't take it for granted when I am surrounded by family and feel like I belong. I continue to be amazed at God's work.