In a previous post way back when, I expressed my desire to return to my roots; my roots being my Filipino heritage. Going to the Philippines is something I would absolutely love to do, but the reality is that my current status just wouldn’t allow it. In an ideal world, I would take off an entire month to go so that I could fully immerse myself within the culture and spend time with the extended family that eagerly waits to meet me. You see, my Dad has 7 brothers and sisters who have children, which leaves me with a countless number of cousins who are also having babies now. At this rate, I’ll never be able to keep up! It is uncertain when my visit will take place, but I assure you that one day, I will go.
Until this dream is realized, I have fate to thank for bringing a wonderful opportunity to my life. I’ll give you some background: When I was about 12 or so, my Dad thought that it would be a great idea for me to become pen pals with one of my cousins. In the Philippines, English is their second language so we were able to communicate with no problem. We talked about all sorts of different things and also entertained the idea of one day meeting one another. As time passed, those lines of communication faded, although in recent years we ended up reconnecting via myspace. We didn’t talk very often, but we could if we wanted to. You all know how life gets in the way sometimes. And although I could feel guilty about not nurturing those avenues of communication, I won’t. Not because I don’t care, but because something even better was in store for us!
Something more amazing than I could have imagined in a million years......
She moved to the United States with her soon-to-be husband. Not only did she move to the United States, but she moved to Tennessee of all places. K, her fiancé, is from Kingsport, TN. GUESS WHAT!?!?! Kingsport is only 1.5 hours away from me!!!!!!!!!! I received an email from her with the shocking revelation about a week or so ago. Shortly after receiving the wonderful news, we quickly made plans to finally meet. Cody and I loaded up semi-early on Saturday morning to make the day trip. Since they live a short distance from Bays Mountain Park, I thought that a hike would be a good way of getting better acquainted. Despite their initial apprehension about doing a 2.3 mile hike we all enjoyed the weather, exercise, and especially the company. We are already planning our next outing!
Never in my wildest dreams did I think that one of my far-away relatives would be here in the states to visit me, much less move within a reasonable driving distance. It is still blowing my mind. We look forward to getting to know the both of them better, and I can't begin to tell you how thrilled I am to have this once in a lifetime opportunity. I will surely not let this go to waste.
I feel that this past weekend was the dawn of a beautiful beginning.
Posted in Wordful Wednesday
