London, Mommy & Me

Upon returning from my recent visit to the states, my mother accompanied me back to London. Since 9/11, my mother has been very nervous about flying. She has flown a few times for business trips but each trip was made with a huge amount of fear and trepidation. As result, I sincerely appreciated the fact that she was willing to travel to London to spend some time with me.

My mother and I are fortunate enough to have a very close relationship (when I am in the states we talk about 5 times a day-- everyday) and I was looking forward to spending time with her in London. We traveled a bit when I was a child but it had been over a decade since we have taken a vacation together. So, last Monday morning at 5am, as we traveled in the cab to JFK, I was filled with extreme excitement-- just like a child going to Disney World for the first time.
(to the left is a picture of us with my mother's first cousins)

Upon arriving in London after our 7 hour flight, she stayed up all night helping me pack (truthfully, she did all of the packing) my apartment because I was moving into a new flat on the next morning. There is nothing like a mother's devotion. After moving into the new flat, she spent the first day or so relaxing, recovering from jet lag and checking out the surrounding neighborhood to "'make sure that her baby was okay.'" I had a ton of work to do at the office but I was determined to spend some quality time with my mother this weekend. Easter in London is a big deal so everyone had off on Good Friday as well as Monday (the day after Easter known as "Easter Monday").

(to the right is a picture of the my cousins from my mother's side)

It was challenging to organize my mother's schedule. She is a very low maintenance woman (I have no idea how she ended up with me) but it was really important to me that she a great time in London. I have 11 cousins from my dad's side who live in London and my mother has 9 cousins and a bunch of nieces and nephews whom she had never met before. In addition, a friend of mine was in town and I really wanted to have the opportunity to see her as well. Furthermore, there is so much to do and see in London, I at least wanted my mom to experience some of it. So, planning a productive yet fun schedule for her became a part time job for me.

The efforts that I put into this weekend were worth it (I hope she feels the same way). We went to the Museum of London which is located across the street from my flat to see an exhibition of the 200th Year Abolishment of the Transatlantic Slave Trade. The exhibition documents the slave trade that took place in England as well as current forms of slavery taking place around the world today. We also visited Buckingham Palace (which is amazing!) and took a tour of the Queen's Art Gallery located within Buckingham Palace (totally boring). I clearly had to squeeze a trip to Harrods (of course) into her schedule as well as some of the other well known shopping areas in London. Harrods is like no other department store I have seen before. It really is a department store located in a museum. The architecture within the store is absolutely stunning. There is an Egyptian theme which runs throughout the store. The ceilings and walls are etched with pyramids and various Eygptian figures. Harrods also has a memorial section dedicated to Princess Diana and Dodi. Though my mom and I both agreed that with the current exchange rate, London is entirely too expensive, we could not help but buy clothes, bags, and little trinkets for friends and family members.

On Saturday, my first cousins from my dad side planned a dinner for her. They had not seen her since I was 3 years old. I was a little nervous because I was not sure what the vibe was going to be like but they welcomed both of us with open arms. Watching my mom hang out with my dad's family was truly a work of God and once again it revealed the fact that God will honor our heart's desires. Sometimes you may not know all of the desires of your heart until they happen before your eyes.

On Easter Sunday, we had dinner with my mother's first cousins. She had not seen her cousins in 3o years. As children they shared a very close relationship which entailed spending weekends and holidays in each other's home. Seeing the excitement on their faces and my mother's truly warmed my heart. Several years ago, one of my uncle had been diagnosed with cancer and was told that he wasn't going to live for more than a year. As children my mother and my uncle spent alot of time together. The love and joy that they share for one another after 30 years of being apart, was a privilege to experience. We had a wonderful Easter dinner around the table. I had the opportunity to get to know my cousins (I met them a few weeks ago for the first time) and my mother and my uncles attempted to catch up on everything under the sun. Sunday dinner truly felt as if my cousins had always been a integral part of my life.

My parents immigrated to the states before I was born. While immigration provides wonderful opportunities for many families, one negative effect is that people settle all over the world thus making it very difficult to stay in contact. Because only a small number of my family members live in the states, I count it as a tremendous blessing that God has given me the opportunity to meet and form relationships with my family members in London that I never knew existed.

I love hanging out with my family members. They are fun, funny and good hearted folks who are hard working and honest. I also enjoy hanging out with them because I get a peak into what life was like for them while growing up in a different country. I could spend hours upon hours listening to stories about my parents, aunts, uncles, grandparents and great grandparents. Each story provides insight which gives me the opportunity to know my mother a little better and have a deeper understanding of my family and their history. These stories are also very important to me because if I am ever fortunate enough to have children, it is important that they know that they have a history, a legacy and a heritage that they should be proud of.
(the picture to the left is of family members from my dad's side)

All and all the week was fabulous. We did however, have a few bumps in the road. . on Saturday someone cursed at my mother on the tube (rest assured, you know I handled that with the quickness). On Sunday morning, on the way to church, we were being followed in the tube by a strange man who looked crazy. After we got rid of him, we arrived to church only to discover that Easter service was being held at another location. When we arrived to the location (half an hour later), there was a weird vibe going on and I didn't feel comfortable so we left. On our way back home from church, we took the wrong bus and continuously had the weirdest encounters with what had to be every crazy person who lives in London. However, inspite of these few stumbling blocks, it was a weekend filled with good food, laughter and much love.

I am so honored that God has given me the chance to spend time with my mother over the last few days. I have wonderful memories of the time that we have spent with one another and with our family members. I will hold these memories and experiences dear to my heart forever and ever.