I'm sure there's a name for it, but what?
Last Thursday, we travelled to the village of Drumbo to meet my mother's third cousin - not really a long lost one as she didn't know he existed for most of her life. In the journey to track down his own family roots, he stumbled across another cousin who'd been working with us in digging down into our own roots.
A summer-school in Brno in the Czeck Republic beckoned and so Ray thought he'd swing by Northern Ireland on the return leg of the journey home to New Zealand.
And last Thursday, we travelled to the village of Drumbo.... etc.
Ray Craven was born in 1936 - the same year as my mum, and they share a relation four generations back. Along with other cousins, they had a good poke about the family photos and scrutinised for family likenesses (who had the same earlobes as who etc) and mum was delighted to learn that he was a layreader in his Anglican church (she'd been in the diaconate of her denomination and another cousin was a minister... so clearly God does genes too ha!)
Here's mum, Ray and cousin Eileen.
It was a good night, and "nice", we all agreed, to have our horizons broadened a little more.
Jump from Thursday to Sunday with me.
We head off to church and are settling in doing that rubber-neckin thing of who's here and who's away... and lo and behold, two rows back, I spot a couple of familiar faces. Eyebrows leaping there too when they spot me. Charlie and Flo were working in Seychelles with FEBA radio when I went out to do a six month stint in 1992. I've seen them a couple of times since then, once in Nairobi (2002 I think) and once shortly after in Ireland.
They just decided to come to the coast for the day and rocked up to HRPC not knowing they'd find me there. (Not that it would have put them off I guess.... at least I hope...)
It was one of the best services ever. A Chinese lady who'd moved to Northern Ireland had started attending "English Corner" and in time, had chosen to follow the Lord Jesus and was being baptised. Her faith is stronger than her English capacity so it was necessary and absolutely brilliant to have the vows and blessings translated for her during the service!
"Nice", we thought to have our parochial little ways stretched and our horizons broadened.....
Meanwhile back at the ranch, Charlie and Flo arrived after a picnic and walk on the beach and we were thrilled to catch up with much tea and lots of laughter. When they'd gone, we marvelled at how "nice" it was to have our horizons broadened a little more..... (see a theme emerge?!)
Here they are with yours truely, ma and pa.
That was yesterday. Today, a friend called to relate "devastating news". I know Bobby Ringland well enough not to take that tone seriously. "After knowing you all your life, I've just found out we might be related." He's one of the nicest souls I know, so I can cope with that....
His cousin was visiting from Australia - originally from Belfast and it turned out her husband was my father's cousin.
So the teapot was warmed again and in no time, the doorbell went and my father, aunt and mother welcomed Tom and Flo and they went through the who's-dead/alive/married/divorced routine, then the "d'you remembers" started... and then we talked about life in Oz versus life in NI and ..... yea... you're with me... all agreed that it was really "nice" to have our horizons broadened.
So what's going on? All of a sudden, everything feels very international and intentional.... first mum's cousin, then my missionary friends, the bi-lingual baptism and then dad's cousin.....
Answers anyone? Oh and here they are... Tom, ma, pa, Flo and Betty.
