Monday 14 November 2016

Family on Facebook!

A photograph on Facebook reminded me of my childhood very strongly. The handsome young face was my brothers grandson.
He has the family red hair and is just eighteen.
I last saw him when he was still a toddler. I regret that my brother John died several years ago but hope that somewhere, somehow he can appreciate the fine young face as he embarks on an adult life.
I was often left in charge of my brother being six years older than him .
I took him to the local swimming pool and nearly lost him as he tried to reach me in crowded water.....fishing him out of the crowded water was one of the scary moments of my young life.
Once grown up we went our separate ways and lost touch with each other for about fourteen years after two house moves.
It took me about an hour on the internet to find him again on my way to ordination. He cried. I cried too...and we stayed in touch until I visited him in his care home after his brain tumour took hold.
On his death bed he told me how much I had meant to him....his big sister...
He apologised for not sticking up for me more often....I reassured him....he was too young to stand up to our father .
I sent his grandson my best wishes. The world is a smaller place now and for all the faults of social media it gives us moments like this....a link with a long passed childhood...a memory of early companionship with a brother now gone aloft!
So I'll put up with all the annoying stuff for moments like this....



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

1 comment:

UKViewer said...

Facebook is a useful tool for keeping in touch. I'm now in touch with a whole new branch of my family, brought about by the death of a half brother, Tony, who I never met in life, but after his death, his widow remedied that. I have a host of new nephews and nieces and their off spring to get to know. They live in Lincolnshire, a favourite county of ours - so we will be visiting next year.