Love you. Those two words sank deep into my heart. The tone of their voice, the light in their eyes and the smile on their face said, “Yes, I mean it. I really love you.”
It had been over 15 years since I laid eyes on my aunt and cousins. The day was February 10, 2001. It was my mother’s funeral. Back then, I was so grateful they came all the way in from Ohio. At that time, I was living in New York. Now I live in North Carolina.
In July 2016 my aunt called. She told me she really wanted to see my sister and I. It had been so long. Although her daughters, my cousins, had been telling me this for quite some time, I really felt the need to make some moves when I heard her voice. I told my husband, we have to go to Ohio. I said we would go in October, but that didn’t happen. I felt bad about that and in late October, I made a quick decision to travel the first weekend in November.
Unfortunately due to the timing, my sister was not able to take the 10-hour drive with us. The number of hours didn’t matter. Love is everlasting. It hadn’t gone anywhere. For when we pulled up to the door, three of my six cousins greeted me in a long sweet cinnamon roll hug, I knew it. They had missed me and I had missed them.
How could you forget the six cousins you lived in the same house with? We shared stories, belly-aching laughs, and genes. It was amazing to look at them and see ME. My eyes and nose sat on their face and stared at me.
Once inside, we played the memory game, “Remember that time when?” We did remember. And boy did we laugh! Of course, my husband who loves to laugh, fit right in with everyone. My little one had a blast playing with his cousins he met for the first time.
Fellowship is food for the soul. It really is. Although my aunt was calling for me, my soul was calling for her and my cousins. I felt an overwhelming peace, that although I was in a very unfamiliar place in Ohio, I was in an incredibly familiar place at the same time. I was home, with my family. And when my husband and I piled into our rental and headed to our hotel for the evening, he said, “Wow, they really love you!” Yes, they do and I LOVE them.
I will forever cherish that visit and I urge you, if you haven’t seen your family in years, go visit. You may be so busy with daily life, you may not hear that call within your soul. It’s calling for that familiar food — love.
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