so i'm flying back from philly on usair, and we just got done watching 'the astronaut farmer'.  totally brought a tear to my eye when he finally lifted off.  just such a beautiful moment...  following your dreams and never giving up is everything to me.

 

speaking about moments, this weekend was - well, i won't say perfect - all of our flights were delayed at one point or another - but we all made it and it was 'right on time.'  i've never spent any amount of time with any of my extended family on my dad's side - just never really knew them.  i guess maybe when my brother and i were still young and living in pennsylvania maybe we saw our cousins every now and then - but nothing that i remember - and we left pa for ms before i was 6.  then my parents got divorced a couple years later and maybe that sealed the split from that side of the family.  anyway, the only time i remember meeting any of the cousins/aunt/uncle was when my granny mucha passed away back during my freshman year at tech (spring break 1996 - i was 18 years old).  we met them at the funeral parlor and then had a light dinner afterwards.  now of course, we were a bit pre-occupied - it was a funeral after all - but i just remember feeling awkward the entire time - just kind of like - who are these people?  i've never met you before - i don't really feel any attachment to you - i don't even know what to say to you.  we left that funeral and never stayed connected.  nothing.

 

fast forward a couple years and i'm done with grad school.  i decide to move up to philly to pursue rowing and (eventually) find an engineering job - that was from august 2001 to july 2002 - 24/25 years old.  a whole year in philly and i never ever tried to contact anyone who lived there.  why?  i don't know - i guess it just wasn't the right time - i guess i just didn't have the guts - i guess i just wasn't ready yet.

 

fast forward a couple more years and now i'm 30 years old.  out of the blue, my cousin leslie emails my brother and i and invites us to philly for a grand 70th surprise party for her mother - my aunt anna.  there was a small piece of trepidation in the back reaches of my mind, but jason and i jumped on it - of course we would come.  i flew in early, jason came in a bit later, but dad almost missed the whole thing due to cancelled/delayed flights.  we went from the airport straight to leslie's brownstone and got there a little bit late, but luckily aunt anna was just a little bit later.  AKA 'appointed timing'.

 

but what about that elusive moment?  we walked in to leslie's place, and that was it.  no tension in the air.  no awkwardness.  genuine gladness that we were all there together and that maybe we could start anew.  and that was it.  aunt anna came in moments later, and was genuinely surprised.  we and the cousins talked and talked and talked.  dinner was catered and was - of course - excellent.  afterwards, our cousins bobby and elissa went out for drinks with jason and i and just kept on going.  leslie was ready to burst with a baby and tara had child duties, so they couldn't join us.  but i can honestly say that we just cut through the bs and just started acting like family again.  man, it was really beautiful.

 

so now - of course - the responsibility is to keep it going.  keep in contact.  etc.  that won't be a problem...  not any more.