Leslie Reunion 1999 home page | Start of family tree | Macdonald page in family tree | Picture of Donald and Linda Grabel
I am rarely at a loss for words, but this reunion finds me in such a state. A couple of years ago I received a telephone call from a man who said his friend, whose mother had a cousin in St. Louis named Linda Grabel, had asked him to call. Of course, he didn't know the mother's maiden name, and I was totally unable make any sense of his bits of information. But finally it began to dawn on me he was talking about the LESLIE connection!! I can't tell you how thrilled I was to finally have contact with that branch of the family. Many years ago, I had a very brief correspondence with Lenora de la Torre, who told me about all the cousins who live in Mexico. I neglected to keep up my end of the correspondence, and after so many years passed, I just assumed I wouldn't be able to re-establish contact. So I knew about Cristina, but had no way to contact her.
By the end of our conversation, I had her telephone number. I immediately called, and we had a nice chat (If you see this, Cristina, I am really looking forward to having a much longer conversation with you!) and she told me she had a sister living in Tijuana. That was even more exciting, because I knew our Cousin Judy in Orange, CA, would love to know we had more family. I told Cristina to give Judy's phone number to Zulema so she could make contact. I then called Judy and told her that she would be getting a telephone call from a woman in Tijuana. I was met with deafening silence---and then explained what had happened. I was right! Judy was a mass of anticipation! Several weeks later, Judy called to give me a report. It couldn't have been more perfect. She said that she and Bob and Zulema and Alberto had met a couple of times and that they honestly and truly enjoyed each other's company.
In December 1997 Judy called to tell me there was a cheapie airfare from St. Louis to Orange, so I grabbed my toothbrush and shot out the door for the airport. The three of us went to Tijuana for the weekend, and I had one of the most wonderful experiences of my life. After two hours with Zulema--someone I had never met!---I felt a connection. By the time we left on Monday morning, it was like leaving an old friend--an old friend who was also family. Everyone has events in their lives that standout like Polaroid photos, frozen in time. That describes that weekend for me.
I had the same experience with Carlos the following March in St. Louis. He was in STL on business, and Judy was here visiting her mother, so I invited them for dinner, along with Cousin Missy and her husband, Bill Sullivan. Carlos completely charmed his three cousins, and, again, we felt an immediate connection. Even though the familial ties go back several generations, it's there, and I hope someday to be able to meet every, single cousin I can--no matter how distant--geographical or genealogical!
My husband says that my goal in life in to find a cousin in every city I would ever want to visit. He knows me so well!
