Continuing on the "Christmas in Eden" post, our time with my family was incredibly sweet. It was wild to take the boys into far into the country side of Brazil to a tiny little town. I was reminded of the many times I did this as a child. There was something incredibly special about taking them back and showing them part of their heritage. The reality is their little world is so far removed from what they experienced. But it's part of who my mom was, so it's part of me. Because it's part of me, it's part of them. I think my parents stories are amazing. I believe the effort and courage my parents had to leave their humble beginnings, move to the big city, establish a life, then choose to leave that to go to America "the land of opportunity" is awe-inspiring. I am so very proud of who my parents are and the effort they applied in giving me the life I have. Now as a mom, I understand that sort of determination for your family. So to take my little family back to the roots, was nothing short of fabulous! Unfortunately, we never did get a big group picture and I am sure we missed some family members. But I'll introduce you to a few:
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| Meet my Grandma - Luzia |
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| My mom (right) with her sister Selma (left) - that's right, she's blond with blue eyes. Many of my family members look more like Aaron than like me :) |
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| Mom (far right) with her brother Alemao, wife Sandra, and daughter Pamela (missing my other cousin Junior) |
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| My Aunt Bernadete with her brother Nene and his wife Fatima (left to right) |
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| Me and my cousin Dayana - everyone says we look like sisters! |
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| Me and the boys with my cousins (who are sisters) Dayana (left) and Daniela (right) |
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| Boys with Drausio (Daniela's husband- pictured above) |
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My aunt Zilda with my cousin Andre
Zilda lives with my grandmother. Andre is one of 4 boys. I only got a picture of him :/ |
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| My cousin Leticia with her son Matheus (Leticia is Selma's daughter - pictured above with my mom) |
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| Me and my cousin Rosemarie |
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| Jonathan having a blast with my 2nd cousin Igor |
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| Left-Leah (cousin's wife, Igor's mom) Right - Rosemarie (cousin) |
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| Ruberlie my cousin (married to Leah, father to Igor. Also has another son whom I didn't get his picture!) |
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| My cousin Roselie (Rosemarie's and Ruberlie's sister) with her son Gabriel |
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| Stefane (my cousin's Rosemarie's daughter) |
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| Boys with Tayla (my cousin's Rosemarie other daughter) |
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| My aunt Bernadete, her husband Penguin, and two daughters |
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| Me and a few of my girl cousins :) |
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| Last but not least, us at the breakfast table with my mom, dad, and Grandmother - or "Bisa" as the boys called her (meaning great-grandmother) |
What's most amazing in all of this is the incredible love we received. It's wild that they had not seen Aaron or me in 6 years. They had not met the boys. Yet the love the shared with us was beyond abundant. They gathered us with open arms as if we were a part of their day to day. They delighted in playing with the boys. They hungered to spend time with Aaron and I. We invaded their homes, their lives, and their time. In turn, they blessed us with overflowing love!
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What an incredibly sweet time - a true gift from the Lord. Isn't that bond of family something that is hard to explain and a gift beyond measure? So glad you have had that chance. Blessings, friend! Loved seeing all the pictures!
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