Keeping In Touch

As I have said time and again, keeping in touch with friends, family, and neighbors hasn't always been easy for me. As one gets caught in the vicissitudes of life, communication with others slowly deteriorates and gradually comes to a standstill. Moving away from one's home country exacerbates this whole thing, and eventually even the little communication one had with others completely grinds to a halt. So had been my case, until I decided to take matters into my own hands. It's been almost 14 years since I left India, and since my siblings and I all live in different countries, I haven't been able to see much of them at all. Not once have all the four of us been under one roof at the same time, and it really sucks big time, to be with just one sibling and miss the other two at any given time.

The same can be said for having missed out on weddings, births, anniversaries, etc., etc. I wasn't there for my only nephew's wedding, and now that he lives in Australia, his wife and two children are still strangers to me. My niece got married last year, and as usual, due to work commitments, I wasn't able to attend her wedding as well. She celebrated her first anniversary last week, and it's sad that I really don't know her husband at all. Most of my cousins' children were babies or young kids when I left India, and they don't know me as their aunt. Some of my cousins live abroad elsewhere and it's very sad that I haven't seen them or their spouses in a long while, and sadly enough, I have never seen their children at all.

When one lives far away from family and friends, one begins to realize how precious they are. Thanks to Facebook, I decided to reach out to some of my long lost cousins in the extended family, and to all their kids as well. In many a case, I had to introduce myself to these youngsters, an aunt they never realized existed in another part of the world! I decided I would be the "cool" aunt who would stay in touch with these children and be a part of their lives, albeit in cyberspace. It's lovely to know what's going on with them, but I feel a pang that my son is missing out on all those unique experiences of childhood, such as going to the grandparents' home for vacation and having a jolly time with his assorted cousins. Time and distance and work/study commitments, as well as monetary considerations have wreaked havoc on annual travel and visiting everyone on a regular basis, but I hope to keep in touch with everyone via Facebook at least, as the years roll by. Little compensation that, but I'll take it gladly any time!!!