Long lost relatives...

[moosmom]

I was going through some personal papers today and came across a letter from my Dad's aunt Susie. The last time I saw her and my cousin Kathy was over 23 years ago in Richmondville, NY. I decided to call the campgrounds they stay at during the summer.

I got a call back from my cousin Kathy and we had a wonderful conversation!!!! She and I are SO much alike. We both share a passion for animals, and animal rescue. We were on the phone for over an hour.

I spoke with my great aunt as well and we're making plans for me to take a bus up to the campground for a long weekend towards the end of the summer.

That phone call put me in such an awesome mood. I still have relatives from my Dad's side of the family that I plan on keeping in touch with.

On the funny side...23 years ago, I took a trip out there. I visited my uncle Henry and aunt Elvie in their farm house on Ploss Road. I told my Dad that the sign was coming back with me. He was annoyed but didn't say much. Kathy and I waited till dark and went to Ploss Road (yes, there is a road in Richmondville named after my family) and I took the sign back with me. I, to this day, still have it and proudly display it in my apartment.. Kathy was my lookout. When Kathy called me, she started the the conversation with, "This is your partner in crime." I can't get the smile off my face. I want to shed tears of happiness, but my anti-depressant won't let me. That's okay too.

So, I am back in touch with my Dad's side of the family and am ecstatic!!!!!

[caseysmom]

Camping and family, that will be awesome! I have so much family I am out of touch with I feel bad, I need to change that!

[Karen]

Congratulations! We have such a huge family that I was always warned to be on my best behavior wherever I went, because you never know what relative you might run across!

[moosmom]

My only regret is that I can't call my Dad with the great news.:(

[caseysmom]

My only regret is that I can't call my Dad with the great news.:(

You can, he will hear you. I know you have said before you feel his presense around you, just have a chat with him sometime.

[moosmom]

Caseysmom,

Sunday is Father's Day and I plan to spend time at the cemetery, chatting with Dad.

[caseysmom]

There you go, tell him all about it then, he will hear you.

Thats a good idea, I should do that too.

[lvpets2002]

:) Oh my that is just so Awesome.. Congrats on the long needed family visit.. Maybe you can get some pics to share with us..

[Medusa]

That's great, Donna. I have nieces and nephews that I've lost contact with and I've often wished that they would find me. Good for you, girl.

[Laura's Babies]

I know how happy you are!! I recently reconnected with my oldest brothers oldest children on Facebook. I am SO excited about that so I understand your excitement! We had been out of touch ever since my brother & Mama died and I moved back to La.

[moosmom]

I'll definitely take lots of pictures. There is a burial ground way in the woods that Kathy took me to when I was last there. There are Ploss headstones that I plan on taking a rubbing from and frame them proudly near my Dad's portrait.

I did cry tears of happiness. My rock David_p was there to listen to me.

[Freedom]

Excellent!

Fingers crossed for your trip / visit plans to all come together and for a happy visit.

[blue]

Very cool MM. My dad has spent the last 20 years searching for members, live or dead from our family tree. He has been pretty successfull for our Irish side and not so much for our German side.

[ramanth]

That's great news! I hope you have a wonderful trip. :D

[Randi]

How exiting Donna! :D You have time to plan it, and I'm sure it'll be a fantastic visit!

I was in touch with my cousin's daughter in Calgary a few years ago. :)

[moosmom]

What I find really amazing is when I was in upstate NY years ago visiting them, cousin Susie (she's actually my Dad's cousin's wife not aunt) said she was bowled over at how much alike my cousin Kathy (her daughter) and I are. She kept saying that we were made from the same mold.

I never knew there was another person on this earth like me!

[moosmom]

This has got to be family week!!! I just got an email from my cousin Maryanne in NM telling me her mom passed away this past April and my uncle Tom (her Dad) died a year before that.

I was on the phone with her for over an hour talking about our families. It was wonderful. Her older brother Tom has been married for 45 years and has 8 grandkids!!! That just feels SOO weird considering it was only yesterday that we were kids, talking about how we were both going to become nurses.

I'm still trying to figure out why all of a sudden I'm being put in touch with so many relatives I haven't spoken to in years. Is it a sign? I don't know.

I called Maryanne back and asked her for her address so I could send her our grandmother's rosary beads. She said she had kept a letter our grandmother wrote to her just before she died. I thought it would be nice for her to have something of hers. My uncle Tom and his family were never close. But why should his kids not have something of their heritage?

This is just SOOOOOO weird. I wish God would give me a sign as to why this is all happening. LES here. But they're tears of joy, not sadness.