We love our cousins/nephews! It's hard to believe that two brother four years apart could have children nearly 20 years apart, but so is the fate of this family. An early wedding and a later one will make a big difference just one generation down the track. But it doesn't seem to worry anyone that this difference exists at all. So what if Vince and Sammy are 20 years older than Amalia? So what if we're brining in a new member of the soon-to-grow family (yipee!), Tanya? We love it all!
The beauty of this family is that when we are all together it's as if time has not passed. Though the fun and games that Sammy and Vince were up to have now been taken over by Amalia and Irini, and our location is different than the Greek summers of yesteryear, the essence of family, the sharing, the being together, is what keeps us all united.
Tanya had come a few days before for a conference (with her work) but we found the time to see her for dinner one night. It was the first time we had just been us and her and it was delightful! As we walked around City Walk (new for us) and decided that pizza sounded good, we were able to catch up and get to know each other a little bit. Then, a few days later, the boys decended... Vince and Sammy and Aleko all flew into town and were met with a smiley Laurence at the airport.
And so began the whirlwind tour of Dubai (with one day in Abu Dhabi) over three days (Thanksgiving weekend). We went all over and saw all sorts of things but there is still much left to do. We had conversations about ethics, and plans, and upcoming weddings. We talked about work, and social life, and family life. We played and we laughed. As families do. And we used the time to reconnect (all together for the first time in years) and re-energize our family dynamic.
And, of course, we took the opportunity to have our customary "older sibling -vs- younger sibling" half-court basketball game in the neighborhood court. Some in sandals, with a kiddie sized ball (with the older siblings calling "foul") we had new members of the family to initiate and, for some, to introduce the nuances of the sport to. In the end the younger siblings prevailed with Natalia receiving the MVP award for the game. Who knows when the next game will be? But we do know that the friendly competition is slated to continue, whenever and wherever that might be. Game on!
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