When my father died more than a decade ago, opportunities to connect with his side of the family seemed to dwindle. For the most part, I've been okay with that -- beyond my two uncles, I never felt particularly close as an adult to many of my relatives on his side. But with the addition of Thea to our family, it's felt a little more important to connect to family -- especially my dad's family.
On the day after Christmas we headed to Glen Allen for a visit with my dad's older brother, Rufus. Growing up, he was called Rudy, so Thea and I practiced saying "Rudy Tootie" on the way to his house -- much to her delight. Rudy was as close to me growing up as my own father, and while politically we live on polar opposite ends of the spectrum I still love him very much.
It was great watching Thea and Rudy connect, and to see him smile as he picked up up, tickled her and kept her engaged. It was a good hint to me of how my father would have connected with her.
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