April I had the call. She was doing poorly and as I tried to figure out how to get home to see her, she was taken to the hospital and in less than a day, she was gone. So here I am half a world away and there was nothing I could do but listen to my family’s recollections of standing around her bed saying goodbye. I wish I had my own memories of it but that is part of the price of choosing to emigrate to a country five time zones away. Though I have great friends who are there in a crisis or when I want a little birthday boogie but it’s not the same as the easy rapport of family who carry with them the same history as you. I know everyone doesn’t have a great relationship with their family and I definitely have lengthy stories of the ups and downs of our complicated one but they are the first people you look to when you’re missing home. For me, it’s not the place I miss but the people. If I could just transport them over here, it would be much easier. It’s a bit selfish of me as they all have lives over there, just as I have one here but it would suit me better if they could be installed down the road and on the days I didn’t want to see them, I could whisk them back. If only they’d hurry up and invent teleporting. It would make visiting much quicker, save on our carbon footprint, and relieve our worries of buying tickets off charter companies in case they go bust like my favourite airline provider ZOOM just did.
Going home for the holidays is so expensive that I rarely go. So last year (as one of my sisters, Becky, was living here) we planned to have Christmas together and our other sister, Sarah, decided to join us from Canada. A Taylor sister Christmas. Cameras at the ready, Becky and I descended on Heathrow the 24th of December to pick up our Christmas guest. As she met us in arrivals, Sarah informed us that she bumped into someone on the plane who knew me and wanted to say hi. I thought a few minutes more wouldn’t hurt so we waited.
Suddenly Sarah pointed and shouted “there they are.” I turned, curious to see if I’d recognize any faces in the crowd and instead of a random friend, I was looking at my mum, step dad and brother who flew to england as a surprise. I was in shock as I cried and clung to my family. I couldn’t believe – my mum – here. But it wasn’t just another plane ride for another person in this case – my mom hadn’t flown in almost 25 years. But she was here. For us. Its things like that that make you appreciate and truly understand how much you love them.
No comments:
Post a Comment