Standing near, being close

This year’s January is a month of relatively happy times. For me, and my family members. More eloquently, it’s the month of family, of reunion, of joy and celebrations. By the way, we are over 40. My father married two wives, my mothers. Altogether, we are 11 siblings. Most already got married and have kids, and some still are single. All of us are spread in different places - working, married off and studying.

So when you’ve a giant family like mine, it’s always very difficult for all of you to get together. However, this winter, all of us met in our village, after many many years. It’s the family reunion, to put it precisely.   

I don’t know about you, but spending time with my family members and beloved ones close by is simply transformative and wonderful. It’s truly a blessing.

In our family get-together, in the month of last January, we spent our time together creating loads of stories and memories that I’m sure we will cherish and laugh for decades.

We made memories in small, loving bites - one memory at a time. That we went out for outdoor picnic, that we played together, that we helped each other in the fields, that we attended to family rituals, that we drank and danced hysterically, that we shared our laughter limitlessly.

And when something good happened, no matter how small, we celebrated it. This is how we built a legacy - a legacy of my family and village that we were born into and what we can preserve and pass it down. 

Also, we nudged on each other, argued at times and bothered sometimes. But it’s ok because it’s part of being close and caring for each other. In fact, we are part of each other’s lives and the protectors. We’re always there (in our prayers too) if some of us are about to slip.

We all know that this world is very fragile. So much unexpected things can happen in our life, anytime. No one can apprehend it. Ever. When my own beloved ones are close by, standing near, I feel safe and happy. More importantly, we are sacrificing our time for our parents and family members that are so very important in our life.