Yesterday, my family had Easter brunch. Every year, my mom makes fritters - deep fried apricot dumplings. It's my grandmother's recipe, which makes me not only miss my grandmother, but also the whole extended family that used to get together when she would host the holidays.
It's not that I was crabby about family gatherings growing up - but I certainly took them for granted. After my grandmother passed away, I think somewhere in my brain I believed that grandma wouldn't stay dead on holidays...that she would make an exception and visit us on special occasions. And I also didn't question that the rest of the family would continue celebrate together. The stunning realization is that one person actually held us all together. Once she was gone, we all retreated and scattered to our own universes.
Last year, we reconnected with my cousins, aunt, and uncle from that side of the family. One day, my aunt and uncle dropped by our house with an armload of Irises, climbed up on our hillside, and stuck a small forest into the ground. This week, they started to bud; a reminder that family is around, that they care, that they want to stay connected, and that we are loved.
It's sad and awkward that we so easily drift from people who we take for granted. If I could, I'd tie a permanent string around my finger to remind myself not to do that anymore.
