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Becoming A Part of My Husband’s Family. A Shift I Wasn’t Prepared For!
From seven to seventy family members!
Entering my husband’s family was a bit of a culture shock.
I grew up in a family of five, plus my Grandma, who later married. There were seven of us in total. We saw our extended family very rarely. A meal at Easter and Christmas. Other than that, it was just us, Grandma and Grandpa. Our family birthday celebrations were a time to cozy in. That was a good thing.
My husband’s family are huge in comparison. His (our) immediate family on his side now has 19 members. Extended family gatherings easily include seventy people, and they get together at the drop of a hat!
Chris’s father had ten siblings. They live in Singapore, but when we were first married, there were annual visits from Singapore. We were forever called to Vancouver to celebrate the arrival of one family member or another. Our attendance was strongly encouraged.
Family was so important to Chris’ dad; he flew us all to Singapore the year he turned 80. He hoped to plant seeds of connection with his grandchildren and his siblings back home. It worked! My son and his immediate cousins in Vancouver have now been ‘back home’ twice! They have heart connections to their cousins across the world! We were…