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| 2019 Columbus Ohio Pride Day Parade Helen is on the far left |
June 7: Spent the day in Modesto at McHenry Lanes bowling the 5-game Peach Classic Tournament.
June 14: On the road returning from a weekend trip to Los Angeles to meet long lost cousins from Vancouver who were in town for a family reunion.
Which leads into today's blog entry, my childhood friend, Helen Yee. While I was in Los Angeles having dim sum with the Yee family from Vancouver, Helen was leading the Columbus LGBT Pride parade. We couldn't have been more proud of her.
Helen and I grew up together. Our moms were longtime mahjong friends. We are only a week apart in age. Helen and the Yee cousins from Vancouver are first cousins. Helen's late dad Peter and my cousins' mom, Fong, are brother and sister. Their father Jack and my mom Susan, are first cousins. Uncle Jack's father and my mom's father are brothers.
It had been 45+ years since I last saw the Yees. Not only did we catch up, they showed me pictures from their 2010 China Trip that included a trip to Guangdong province. They visited the homes of where Uncle Jack's and Mom's families lived, and where Mom was born.
Up until last weekend, I knew very little about Mom's time before she came to the United States. This visit and seeing those pictures filled a big void.
As I reach the end of another decade next week, it's more important than ever for me to stay connected to my family roots.
