Sunday, March 02, 2008

Finding the Family Tree

So, the cosmic spirit is coming full circle in an odd sort of way.

Not too long ago I talked about googling my dad to get his address. And when I did that, as I mentioned in the post, I saw a bunch of stuff about my estranged Grandfather. The man I never met, and the man my father hasn't seen, heard from, or really mentioned for 60 years.

Well, Saturday I talked to my dad in the morning and he said he was going to meet someone for lunch and he would tell me about it when he got back.

The person he went to see was his first cousin on his dad's side of the family.

Apparently she called him out of the blue because she was in town and wanted to meet him.

It has been 61 years since they last saw each other. My dad was 4.

But when they walked into the restaurant they recognized each other immediately. He looks exactly like his father, she looks exactly like her mother. My dad remembers his Aunt even though he hadn't seen her since he was 4.

So, they talked for three hours. She told my dad all about his Father, his Grand Father, and even about his Great Great Grandfather.

The conversation was like they had seen each other every week, natural, and easy.

They want to have a family reunion this summer. And she is somehow going to set it up so that my dad can call and talk to his father today (Sunday)

Imagine that, after over half a century, he will talk to his dad.

He's excited.

I never knew that my father missed his father. Or that there was that "empty" space in his life.

It was sooooo cool to hear the excitement and anticipation in his voice.

So, the cosmic ball is a roll'n.

And I can't wait to see what will happen next.

But hopefully, if all goes well, there will be a family reunion in Ohio this summer and we will get to meet our family for the first time.

I can't even imagine how strange it will be to meet complete strangers that look, sound, and act like we do.

I'll keep you all posted as things happen.

Strange huh?

8 comments:

Jay said...

That's very cool. It's always fun to meet family that you never knew you had.

A couple of years ago Mom and I got to meet with one of her cousins that she hadn't seen in decades. It was a lot of fun. We've been able to find out a lot about our family from back in the UK and Ireland through them too. Fun stuff.

Dianne said...

That's great Newt!

I love how they recognized each other and how they spoke for so long.

Please do keep us posted :)

Betty said...

I got a phone call one day, and the voice said, "Guess who this is!" I replied, "It's Roberta." She asked, "How did you know so quickly?" I said, "Because you sound just like your mother (who was my aunt). Isn't it amazing the way we humans can recognize family after so many years?

Kell said...

Weird but totally cool! How exciting for you guys.

Christy said...

Wow, I hope it goes well. I imagine it would be difficult, but good.

R.E.H. said...

That is really cool. A couple of years ago I was reunited with family that I hadn't seen or spoken to in over 14 years. It's a funny thing how because you are family, you immediately feel at ease and have a connection, although you don't really know them.

I mean, some of these people I have never spoken to in my life, and yet it felt really comfortable when we talked.

Looking forward to hearing more about this experience.

Tink said...

Wow. That's so cool! I can't wait to hear more.

Tory said...

That's so exciting! Make sure you keep us posted on all the happenings.
Take care
Tory