Each year, my whole family takes a holiday together - my hubby, 2 kids, 83 yr old Mum, Uncle, Aunt, 6 brothers, 3 sisters, nieces, nephews, partners, great nieces & nephews - the mathematical sum of which would take too long to calculate! A few hungry mouths to feed to say the least! The only math I need to concern myself with is counting my blessings. I certainly never have to worry about being alone in the world!
This tradition began after my Dad died in December 2000. It would mark the end of a beautiful life & the start of a great tradition and journey to healing. Four days of family fun, filled with eating, tennis, table tennis, chess & card games. Then more eating, bushwalking and yoga. Then more eating, a dip in the spa and sweat session in the sauna. Before long, we’re hugging, kissing and embracing for dear life, as time to depart comes so quickly, with only the promise of next year to cheer us up.
The excitement begins at home days before, when we calculate the financial barriers but share the burden to make it happen. It’s my job,as the self-confessed foodie, to send out the deliciously nutritious food lists.
Upon arrival back home from our 2012 trip, I noticed a simple wood carving I’d had on my kitchen sill for months. It was the word FAMILY with the caption ‘Cherish your family’ underneath. Our family holiday may only take place once a year, but the blessing of family is every day of the year. What matters is making time for each other, even if it’s a distant thought or a heartfelt prayer.
Putting aside work,financial constraints,the hustle & bustle of life and making a commitment to family get-togethers is awesome. Eating together, playing together, laughing and singing together, dancing together, talking together, sharing our talents - this is amazing. But when this is impossible, we hold each other in our hearts!
Love travels across time and space. If this wasn’t so,what of loved ones lost? In August 2013,my sister Helen died. We put off our holiday that year. It won't be the same without her.
Time is truly a priceless commodity – we can’t buy it, trade it, steal it, change it or make more of it. We can’t control ‘time’ itself, but we can certainly control how we use it. We can use it wisely to create wonderful moments and memories. I’m so grateful that’s exactly what I have - wonderful moments and memories of my Dad and my sister.
This year, I don’t know if we’ll go on our family holiday again. I hope so. But if not, we’ll just keep reaching out to each other whenever time permits, whether it be a random dinner invitation or a quick text message to say, ‘Thinking of you’.
A while ago, my late sister’s kids came for dinner. It was a night filled with laughter, love and great food, if I must say so myself! However,I spent so much time on preparing the main meal I didn’t leave time for a complicated dessert! So I concocted a creation that has become ‘the talk of the town’(or ‘talk of the family’ anyway).
After scrounging around in my fridge and pantry, I pulled out chocolate, ice cream, frozen raspberries, slivered almonds and one of my all-time favourites, Lebanese Halva. Halva is a flaky, sweet confection made from crushed sesame seeds.
We decided this would be a perfect and simple dessert to take on our next family holiday. Helen, my sister, won’t physically be there this year, but her spirit will always be with us - after all, love travels across time and space.
Memories of family, food and fun times sustain us and our way of life. Is it so across the world? My desire is to find out!
