FAMILY MATTERS!

Let me tell you about my lost family … or part of it, and it was all down to my son’s broken marriage. When Jon was in the army he met and married a German girl. Sadly, the marriage didn’t work so his wife moved back to Germany with their two very young sons. After a few years she came back to this country and went to live in Scotland, which is the other end of the country to where we are in the Midlands. Jon was able to see the boys periodically but I only saw them on one occasion. The youngest would have been about eight at the time and his brother two years older.

When they were still in their teens, after a period of uncertainty and some unhappy changes in their family structure, the boys left home and were ‘lost’ to their father and me, their grandmother. However, the good news is that they have been found on Facebook. As many of you know Facebook has for some time been on my ‘don’t touch’ list but with the knowledge that the boys were on it meant I had to go there too. There they were, grown up and looking fabulous. I also discovered that I am great-grandmother to a baby boy … quite suddenly I felt not just old, but positively ancient! Just waiting for someone to say I don't look it!

The 'find' was due to Jon’s partner, Karen, and I can’t thank her enough for her endeavours to trace the boys. Jon doesn’t walk well nowadays nor can he do long distance driving but that was okay, grandson would come to us. Two weeks ago it was when my youngest grandson, Keith, and his Swedish partner, Sara, came to the Midlands. And Joe and I got to see them.

It was about twenty years since last we met but Keith walked in to my house as if he’d been coming there all the time… and gave me a HUGE bear hug. I felt very emotional and happy. Actually his memory is good, he remembered the house, and especially the garden. That made me feel good.

Joe and I had a whole day with them all. We took them to our usual eating place for lunch, which was a great place to get to know each other. It was lovely.

Top left: Keith and Sara

Top right: Keith and Jon

Bottom left: Keith

Bottom right: Jon

Keith is handsome, friendly, intelligent, fun, and the image of his dad when Jon was his age. 

Sara is a delight. As you can see she is a pretty girl, with the sort of good looks you want to keep staring at. She is petite and graceful and very friendly… and what’s more she speaks perfect English. She and I are now in regular contact by email. 

There were none of those awkward moments that occur when people haven’t met for a long time, it was as if we had always been together. I am really hoping that we can all meet up again and become a proper family unit even if there ARE many miles between us.

That’s not all. Imagine my surprise when I arrived home from a meeting to find a box of flowers in the porch… delivered and obviously not heard. Yes, they were from Keith and Sara, and they're still good today. 

Since hearing a little bird whisper that Keith and Sara might be here for Christmas I am living in hope with fingers firmly crossed!