In 14 days

 

Christmas Day is in 14 days.

It will be an extra special day for me; seeing family members I haven’t seen in a LONG time.  What I ‘m feeling is indescribable.

Well, I feel like I will be a stranger to people who have known each other all along.  My brother has been invited too; I have not seen him in over 19 years.

I’m pretty sure I’m not "the prodigal son" here… maybe the Long Lost cousin or something like that.

My cousin sent me a link to the photos of a cousin’s daughter’s child… and I remember the cousin’s daughter as a wee child herself.  Holy cow.  Wow.  There are photos of other family members I barely recognise too.  The last time I saw some of them, I was 22, and The Last time I saw anyone from my family, I was 31.

I’m 46 now.  I was 26 the last time I saw my brother. He wasn’t even 25 yet.  He’s 45 now.

Oh, wow.

I will be staying with Jhni, and the last time I saw her was in July, of this year.  We don’t look so different to each other – and we’ve maintained a close connection most all of the years since I first met her in 1978.  It will be a sort of insulating factor that I am seeing her first, I guess.

I might need that.

I think I’d be scared if I wasn’t going to see her first – we’ve known each other so long.  There was a period when we didn’t see each other; I joined the Navy in 81 and "went away" and then went and lived in Japan a few years, so I guess it was five or six years before I saw her again, but we always kept in touch.  When I moved here, to Oregon, I found out where she was and drove down to see her in Big Bear in 88, but have regularly gone there to see her ever since.  The second time I lived in Japan in the early 90’s, Big Bear was a regular visit, twice a year, and so we’ve kept in touch all these many years.

Next to my former wife, she’s the most important person in my life, and, now that my former wife has faded out a bit, Jhni IS my most important friend.  I think I’d marry her if she wanted me to….But, I’d have to leave MY Oregon to do that, and move back to California.

It probably won’t happen….

***

Gee, this is veering off what I thought I’d write about.

The Family.  My Brother.  The trip to see them.

Big Bear.

It all ties together, in some way. I guess I’m so excited I’m confused… but I did tell Jhni this summer that if I drove down to see the family, that I’d see her first. And last.

Wow.  14 days to see the family.  11 days to see Jhni.

I don’t know if I want to to sort it out and say which is more meaningful; I wear a size 12 boot, ya know.

***

Well, first things first:  The Drive.  In my beloved Cali-blue.

Do you know it cost me just ten bucks to fill the tank today?  Less than half of what it cost me this summer.  Holy cow.

***

Ok, ok.  People I haven’t seen in so long, we’ll all be strangers to each other; damn right I’m going to see Jhni first.

Gotta get busy printing pictures, The Best of my Oregon.

Can’t go empty handed, to either place.

*****