Family forever, never apart, maybe in distance, never in heart.
Unknown
603 days. That’s how long it had been since I’d seen my little brother. I live in Canada and he lives in the U.S. but we are only about an hour away from one another. We normally spend every holiday together but COVID had made that impossible until now.
Before last weekend, Christmas 2019 was the last time we saw each other. We opened presents, we took pictures, we laughed and told stories of holidays past and people no longer with us. I’ve often thought how if we’d known that would be the last time we’d see each other for almost 2 years, we would have stayed a while longer, talked a little more and hugged a little harder.
With every lockdown and extension of the border closure, more holidays and special occasions would pass with 4 empty seats at the table. And while it was hard for me to not see my brother, his wife, my niece and nephew, I can’t imagine how hard it was for my parents to be missing their son and vice versa.
We know how fast kids grow and my parents missed out on 600+ days with 2 of their grandchildren, birthdays and baseball games, milestones and memories. And my brother missed out on 600+ days with our parents, appointments and aging, holidays and home.
When we finally got to see each other in person last weekend, it was the sweetest reunion. My niece and my boys are 3 months apart and they were all 14 the last time we were together. They’re now 16 and a lot changes in those formative years. My boys have grown so much physically that they’ve caught up to my brother while my niece has matured so much that I felt like I was having a conversation with a friend. My nephew who was previously the only one I was taller than, greeted me with a giant bear hug and picked me right up off the ground, something that it seemed I could do to him not all that long ago.
And my brother, well, all I can say is there were tears. Tears for what we’ve missed out on, tears over missing him but mostly tears over being so grateful to be together again.
I’m the kind of person who always tries to look for the silver lining in situations. I believe that no situation is all bad and those that appear that way offer us more lessons to learn. No question these past 600+ days have been hard and fraught with sadness and challenges. But while we couldn’t physically be together, the love we all have for each other never waned. In fact, our appreciation for family has only grown.
Never again will we take a holiday or a special occasion for granted. This time when I told everyone it was time for pictures, there were no complaints, only smiles and jokes that Auntie Mel continues to pick up where Gram left off with organizing family photos at all our get togethers.
It was those photos and memories and love for each other that sustained us for 603 days until we could be back together again.
This past year and a half has taught us so many lessons including the importance of family and health and an appreciation for the little things. And no global pandemic, border closing or lockdown can change that.
Reunited and it truly feels so good.
