A Hope Resolved
I often hoped that one day, I will once again see my sister and her family. The last time I saw her in person was about 6 years ago. After meeting his cousins in the Philippines last Summer, my son started to ask about his other cousins. I called my sister one day and asked her, “Hey, would you like to have our families spend Thanksgiving together?” Sounding surprised she replied, “That’s a great idea. I will talk to my manager and submit a time off request.” Already excited, I told her “See you Thanksgiving!”
My niece celebrated her 16th Birthday during our Thanksgiving dinner. No words to describe the joy of being around family and friends.It was a beautiful, heart-warming family reunion. Lots of bonding and catching up for the lost years. The kids immediately bonded and my son even acted like a big brother to his 2-year old cousin whom he never met until that day. I felt so happy seeing all of them playing and creating an unforgettable childhood memory.
My sister and her husband brought us to many wonderful places. Here’s a glimpse of our trip to the Big Apple. The rest of our travel I will share in the next posts.
A Day In New York
My son was so excited when we told him, “We are going to New York!” That night, he drew the Statue of Liberty with tall buildings around it. He said, “Dad, are we going to this city?” as he pointed to his drawing. I smiled at him and said, “Yes, we will.”
On our way to New York, the kids we singing, playing games, eating chips and constantly asking, “Are we there yet?” Hmm, I thought that was just a catchy title of a movie. Kids really love to say this phrase again and again. My brother-in-law announced to everyone, “We’re almost there.” Everyone cheered, “Yipee!”
So many sights to inspire you. From a promise of a happily ever after romance to catching your childhood wish, New York is the melting pot of dreams. How to get those dreams and the many sacrifices one has to make is another story. Hopefully, it all leads to a happy ending.First stop was the park overlooking the two famous bridges of New York. It was cold and breezy and catching a perfect family picture was a challenge as the kids were running all over the place. We all wore something red to celebrate the joyful spirits of the holidays and when it was time to take our family pictures, we hurriedly took off our jackets and said our best “Cheese.” It was so cold that the word cheese sounded like “cheezzz.”
Our New York adventure would not be complete without stopping by China Town and getting some dim sums and souvenirs.
The dim sums were so good and the sweet and sour fish, just so delicious.
We went inside a souvenir shop and my wife bought several T-shirts and scarves as presents to friends in Houston. My son and his cousins tried a few of the Statue Of Liberty hats.
Everyone had a great time. By the time went got back to Norwalk Connecticut, we were hungry again. Good thing we bought some “Siopao” or white buns for a quick dinner.
Just before we went to sleep, my son showed me again his drawing of New York City. He said, “Dad, I had a lot of fun at the big city.” I replied, “So did I.”
It felt good to have one of my hopes resolved into something beautiful that me and my family will cherish always. It may not happen every year but it was sure worth the wait.
