Monday, April 26, 2010

Long Lost Relatives


No, my relatives were not lost... and I didn't find them. But I did get to see them for the first time in 11 years! And for one of them, that meant first time EVER! When I was a little boy, I remember my cool Uncle Pete and his family coming to our house with a brand new trampoline. I was 7 years old and my cool "old" (13-17 years old) cousins taught me how to jump, and even *GASP* play with water on it! Instant favourite cousin status!

Flash forward 3 or 4 years, and we headed out to Vancouver on a family trip. On the way there, we stopped in to see the family. The cousins are still as cool as ever, and I remember even crying when we had to leave their place. From then, I don't think I saw them until one of them got married, and since then it's been even less frequent. I saw Lisa (and her husband Don) on my way back from Japan after my first year there. At the time they had a 5-month old son, Jackson, and that's all.

That was 11 years ago, so this time on my way back, I stopped in again. Jackson is 11, and they have a "new" (well, new to me) addition to the family, Jaydn (9). What a lovely family! Don is helping with a ministry to the homeless and addicted and marginalized. Lisa works at an adoption agency. Jackson and Jaydn are great kids - both play sports and are in French immersion and are growing up to be wonderful. It was a blessed visit. I hope it doesn't take 11 more years for us to hook up again!

生まれた頃から県外(州外?)に住んでいた大好きないとこがいます。僕の7歳の時に初めて会ったと思うけどおじさんが家族を連れて僕ん家に来て、トランポリンを設置してくれた。それで、年上のいとこたちが私たちにトランポリンでの遊び方、また水をかけながら跳ぶ事を教えてくれたので、最初からすごく好きだった。特にリサの事が好きだった。かわいくてかっこうよくて。。。とにかく会う度に大喜び、別れる度に号泣してしまった。

11前に久しぶりに会った時にリサは結婚して子供を産んだばっかりだった。その時またお世話になった。旦那のドンさんもかっこうよくて素敵なカップルだなぁと思いました。先週、ワシントン州の帰りにまたバンクーバーで2泊しました。その際、フェイスブックを通して連絡とって、リサたちの所に泊まらせてもらった。久しぶりの再会なのでとっても嬉しかった。前回会った時の赤ちゃんはもう11歳になり、もう一人が生まれて初めて会えて嬉しかった。リサもドンも素敵な人たちなのでさすがに子供たちも可愛くて素敵だ。ジャクソン君、ジェイデンちゃん、また早いうちに会おう!(また日本語で親せきにメッセージを書くなんて、オレ頭おかしい!)

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