The ties that bind
I started this post more than 3 months ago after a rare but delightful dinner "date" in DC with my half sister and niece. I have 5 siblings, the progeny of my biological father and I wanted to write about that. My sister is 10 years my junior and we've had sporadic contact over the last 20 years not for any reason other than we didn't have the bond of two kids who grew up in the same household (or even state). The last time we saw each other, the wunderkind still needed her pacifier for the plane ride and Facebook didn't exist. It is now our primary method of communication these days – thanks MZ! That last visit was caused by the death of my beloved paternal Grandfather. This time thankfully, no one had died. My 10 year old niece and her classmates trekked up from Louisiana to behold the majesty that is our nation's capital. When I learned they would be in town, I vowed to seize the opportunity to see this side of my family again. Another cousin, from my ...