Visits from family!

(here is Karin with my Mum)

The other day my cousin Karin came to visit. 

Karin was always a bit older than me growing up and if you have a big family, you know that when you're "little" this does not always lead to being very close, just because oof the age difference.  What I DO remember as a child is that I always enjoyed visits from her and her siblings as well as from my Auntie Joan (my mother's sister and one of the "triplet girls" in our family).  They lived a bit further away and as years went by they seemed SO far away down in the "NEW BEDFORD" area!!!  HA!  The irony!

Karin grew older and so did I and we both went our separate ways.  She always intrigued me with her "bohemianish" lifestyle and courage to dream her biggest dreams, going off to Russia to study and teach.  Meeting her husband there (who is another intersting person in my mind that I am eager to get to know better).  Her husband, Ben spent time in Russia as well as Africa working to help the cause of the people in Somalia.  Africa has always been one of my dreams and the thought of doing outreach or mission work has always appealed to me from a young age.  They eventually married in Moscow and she returned to the states to finish her education later in life (giving hope to me who also pursued my education later) studying Poetry. 

Now, this dear cousin is publishing a book of poetry "Coming Soon"!  I believe it's called "tentatively", but more details when I recieve a copy. 

She has the purest most beautiful way about her and sitting down with her, one can see how the appeals of our culture and life did not always settle well in such a whimsical soul.  She is what one would describe as "an old soul"... wise and beautiful, but without "airs".  Even with a camera aimed at her, she seemed uncomfortable with such attention and modestly commented, she did not know where to look or what to do.  It seems to capture her true beauty, like anything of the sort, you'd have to "sneak up on it" and capture it's image when least suspecting!

I mentioned before the "Artist gene" in the family.  Karin has it for sure.  As does her brother, John an Artist in the Dartmouth area and her mother, Joan who worked in clay, pottery & sculpture. 

Karin reestablished contact with me after so many years and we connected shortly before Shaun & my wedding.  I was so happy that she and most of her family could attend.  Though I did not get to spend as much time with them as I would have liked at the reception (as is the way with any wedding, I suppose), it meant SO much to me that she came as I knew she lived a distance away and I'll never forget it.

Since then, she has regularly reconnected and recently called to let me know she'd be in the area for a visit.  It was wonderful to see her the other day and briefly touch base, though not for long enough at all! 

She brought gifts for the baby!  Many "necessary" items...

as well as the most beautiful crocheted pink & green blanket (SO SOFT!)...

...and the most adorable little shoes!!!  As if they were made for a little woodland elf!

She didn't know green was my favorite color and spoke of how it was actually my Nana who had taught her to crochet as a child and when she picked it up again after many years... her hands seemed to remember everything. 

This was  precious gift to me having grown up with my Nana until I was 11 or 12, I felt almost as if she'd given me a gift for the baby sent straight from her in heaven.  Memories fluttered through my mind of those same old hands who taught Karin, teaching me to hold a needle and thread as a child and sew dresses for my dolls from pink remnant fabric, while I sat with her on our large front lawn in Norton, MA.  Sweet memories.

Thank you dear cousin for bringing them back to me.  Hope this is the first of MANY visits to come!