Reconnections
I have noticed in my family there are people that you see all the time, people that you see some of the time and people you never see at all. I was on Facebook the other day just scrolling and reading posts and one of the people I never see at all, my uncle, posted on my time line or wall, whatever you call it, and he told me that one of my cousins, his sister's kid, was having a baby shower that coming Sunday. Well, I responded that I hadn't see that cousin in about 30 plus years since she was a little kid about maybe 4 years old when I used to work at JCP as a temporary retail person during the holiday season when I was in my early 20's. I would not know this cousin if she knocked on the door today. It is sad that I don't know most of my cousins and their kids on my father's side of the family but I like I told her when I messaged her that after my dad died I lost contact with just about everyone on that side sadly. I only saw her twice both times when I was working at JCP that year over that holiday season. My aunt, Genell, brought her there to shop and it was a coincidence that I was working on the days she brought her in. Genell and I talked for a little bit and made promises and exchanged addresses and phone numbers and said that we would keep in touch. I must say that over the years we did for a while. When I first moved on my own I got a Christmas card from her for the first two or three years. After my son was born I would run into her from time to time at the Walgreen's of all places and I went to her house about 4 or 5 times for brief conversations which mostly consisted of family gossip.
There was this show called Good Times that I used to watch back in the day and on the show they had a neighbor who was always gossiping about people and James, the father on the show, would call her Rona Barrett of the ghetto and that would fit my aunt. She didn't live in the ghetto but she sure knew all the gossip of who was doing what and when and where. And sometimes even the how and why. If you ever needed to know anything about anyone all you had to do was to call her and if she didn't know it then nobody did.
So, my now grown and pregnant cousin sent me a picture of her mom via Facebook from her baby shower and said that we need to get together and maybe meet at the uncles house who has now replaced Genell in the gossip department. I was told that Genell passed away. I don't know when she died or where she died. All I know is that she is not here on this earth anymore and that makes me sad.
It makes me sadder that I didn't know her better and I don't know my family on that side at all anymore. Everyone in my generation has grown up, had kids, gotten married, their kids might have kids now and they are grand parents, and great grand parents and live all over California and beyond.
The baby is due in September, her first baby, a girl. I gave her my cell number and told her to keep in touch and let me know when she is up to meeting again this time as a grown woman.
I am hoping that this meeting happens and hoping to meet her daughter when she arrives and hopefully reconnecting with my aunt, her mom. She said to me, thank God for Facebook. I told her yes, thankfully we have Facebook because probably without it we would have never met again.
There was this show called Good Times that I used to watch back in the day and on the show they had a neighbor who was always gossiping about people and James, the father on the show, would call her Rona Barrett of the ghetto and that would fit my aunt. She didn't live in the ghetto but she sure knew all the gossip of who was doing what and when and where. And sometimes even the how and why. If you ever needed to know anything about anyone all you had to do was to call her and if she didn't know it then nobody did.
So, my now grown and pregnant cousin sent me a picture of her mom via Facebook from her baby shower and said that we need to get together and maybe meet at the uncles house who has now replaced Genell in the gossip department. I was told that Genell passed away. I don't know when she died or where she died. All I know is that she is not here on this earth anymore and that makes me sad.
It makes me sadder that I didn't know her better and I don't know my family on that side at all anymore. Everyone in my generation has grown up, had kids, gotten married, their kids might have kids now and they are grand parents, and great grand parents and live all over California and beyond.
The baby is due in September, her first baby, a girl. I gave her my cell number and told her to keep in touch and let me know when she is up to meeting again this time as a grown woman.
I am hoping that this meeting happens and hoping to meet her daughter when she arrives and hopefully reconnecting with my aunt, her mom. She said to me, thank God for Facebook. I told her yes, thankfully we have Facebook because probably without it we would have never met again.
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