There was a knock at my door today. The postman handed a box to me. Straight away I saw the word “posten” on the box and the stamp marked “Norge.” It’s been a hard couple of days for me emotionally for a number of reasons, so this was truly perfect timing. Serendipity maybe. I couldn’t open the box fast enough.

Norsk sjokolade og honning fra familiens gård.

Norwegian chocolate and honey from the family farm.

As much as I love chocolate and honey, seeing the beautiful photo of my cousin’s baby on their Christmas card was the best gift of all. What joy at seeing how much she’s grown just since July when I saw her last! And to see the happiness in the faces of her parents, whose journey as parents has just begun, made me overwhelmed with emotion. I cried (easily done, I know). That is family, I thought. That’s my family. Sure, they are my third cousins, but as I don’t have much family to speak of, these wonderful people are the closest family I have. I truly look forward to seeing them all again soon.

It’s an unusual situation to be without parents, without extended family, without siblings that you’re close to, and being basically a family unit alone in the world. It’s just me and the boys. That’s us. Our little, loving, family. So, I treasure the relationship that continues to grow with my cousins in Norway. They provide me with a sense of connection; a feeling of grounding; a reminder that there is a place in this vast, crazy world where there is a familial homeplace going back generations…a place I am always welcome. That brings me some peace of mind.

It’s not just sjokolade og honning. It is familie. And that means the world to me.