Family, Memories and Photographs

On the other hand, the worst day can often be brightened with a spark that although it is small, brings a smile to your brain.

I am so happy that my children are out in the world - paving their own paths of discovery and dreams - yet every day I deeply miss being able to even just sit down face-to-face and just chat over coffee.

A bad thing happened this week.

One of my cousins passed away.

Back in the day, they (brother and sister) used to live just up the street from us...and my grandparents lived just DOWN the same street. Life was good.

As time moved on - my cousins' families grew and they moved away and lived their lives - as I did with mine.

We would occasionally get together - Vic had moved out west to Alberta, and then to BC. We would occasionally meet when he was in town for work, or if on a road trip. We even got to see him and his wife Dawn, when Caroline and I took a trip out west to see my daughter.

Sylvia moved just north of Toronto. We saw her a bit more. First with my grandparents - and then with my parents, and then my kids. A few years ago, her husband passed. I don't recall that I saw her again after that point.

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About 6 months ago, Vic got a hold of me, and mentioned that he had been the keeper of the family Bible. For those of you unfamiliar with the process, families throughout history would often document their family history in the front pages of a bible. Many often were designed that way - with room for photographs, and places to note the latest births, deaths and marriages.

This used to be the book that my grandparents always had. The one book that you DID NOT TOUCH...kept in a box, underneath the bed, or in the closet. It was passed to my uncle who lived up the street, and then to Vic when my uncle Norm passed.

Vic told me that there had been a discussion with other family members, and it had been decided that I was to become the next keeper of the tome. I was honoured and flattered. The question was though, how to get it to me. It is about 6 inches thick, and must weigh about 20 pounds...not an easy thing to transport. They had actually planned a trip last November to drive out (Vic and Dawn love road trips as much as Caroline and I do!) - but bad weather put a stop to that.

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Last week though, his sister Sylvia took a turn for the worse, and passed away on Wednesday. Messages flew fast and furious, and Vic and Dawn flew out here to attend the funeral. Vic is now the senior on our branch of the family.

They brought the Bible with them, and we decided to meet up in Newmarket to make the transfer. I picked out the restaurant (we Whorpoles love to meet in restaurants - it turns out that we were in this same one years ago for a different get-together!) and a date was set. My father-in-law John came along, as he had gotten to know Vic through Facebook - they share several hobbies.

Fortunately, they were staying at a hotel close-by, and so after dinner, we met to make the exchange. We were together for about 4 hours total, but with all of the memories being traded - it seemed like so much longer. This is a good thing.

I will not be able to attend the memorial service, but it was wonderful and comforting to get together with family. And, I am now the keeper of the Tomlinson/Whorpole Family Bible...something that I will cherish for years to come.

Meet with your family.

Talk with your family.

Take photographs with your family.

Even in the worst times, trust me - it will put a smile on someone's face.