Music in my heart.

Tonight, I somehow stumbled across this video and it's one of my most favorite Tongan hymns.  

It makes me think back to Sunday afternoons I use to spend with my parents, in my childhood home.  I would practice church hymns on my yellow piano, and my Mom would sing along.  Since she's a natural Alto, I would sing Soprano and then we'd switch so I could learn the Alto parts.  Occasionally. my Dad would join us and hum along to the Bass part.  My Dad had such a beautiful Bass voice and I miss hearing him sing, in church.  When my Dad would join my Mom and I, we'd switch over to singing Tongan hymns.  I was always grateful that he would join us and teach me about some of his favorite Tongan hymns.  

Tonight, as I was singing along to video above, my heart and mind found its way back to those cherished Sunday afternoons that we spent together.  I miss Sundays like those.

Cousin Lela & Fam!

I really like this picture of some of my Australian/New Zealand relatives.  My seester, nephew, niece and I were lucky to spend the day with them, at Disneyland. My cousin Lela is to my left, in the black & white, while her daughter Anna is on my right and her son Timothy is next to my seester, on the end.  
It's always been a lil confusing that Lela's my cousin because of the age gap but it was so nice spending time with her family.  She and I had the opportunity to talk about a lot of my Dad's relatives back in the south Pacific.  She pulled out her iPad and showed me pics of her siblings, my cousins.  Out of 12 of her siblings, I've only met 3 of them.  It's been so wonderful getting to know more about them and most especially learn a little more about my paternal grandfather, Simione.  He died in 1963 and I never met my grandma Salote who passed in 1997.  She told me that Simione wasn't very tall, but very patient, kind and gentle and had a head full of white hair.  As for grandma Salote, she had a very strong personality and if you didn't listen, you'd get in a lot of trouble.  Have I mentioned that I was named after her? :) She lived to be 104 years old and didn't need any glasses or aid for her old age.  Such a feisty woman and I look forward to meeting her, and grandpa Simione, someday.
It's been such a beautiful blessing to know more and more about my Dad's family.  I hope to meet more of them someday soon!

Long Distant Relatives.

I'm currently reading, The Friday Night Knitting Club.  It's about a working single Mom, who's Caucasian, named Georgia and her half Black daughter Dakota.  James, Dakota's father, left Georgia and Dakota to work in Paris.  Georgia didn't speak ill of James, but wasn't thrilled when he decided to return to New York, thirteen years later.  James realized that he needed and wanted to be a part of Dakota's life.  He wanted her to get to know his side of the family and culture.  Dakota wanted to know that side, as well.
On Facebook, I saw that I had a photo tag, in an unfamiliar photo.  I clicked on it and then realized that I didn't really know anyone, but I knew that they were from my Tongan side due to their clothes.  I asked my cousin Timothy, via FB, if he could tell me who they all were from left to right. [For remembrance sake: Mele (NZ), Siu (Aus), Tae (NZ), Tita (Aus), Suliana (Aus), Milika (Aus), Lela (Aus), Dorothy (USA)…and the minister in the back is one of their four Brothers – Manase (Vava’u)].  I've met my cousin Lela in teal and her brother Manase, when I was very young. 
I looked at these women and I felt like I could see family resemblences.  I felt like I looked like them.  My thick, coarse hair makes sense now, as well as my round nose and body structure.  Even though I've never met 80% of the people in this picture, I could feel that they were my family.  My Dad started to tell me stories of his family members, and in particular all my (above) cousins' Dad, Peau.  I love hearing stories of my Dad's family and his homeland of Tonga.  I feel a little bit more connected to a land and people that I have yet to meet.
I look forward to the day that I find myself on a plane headed to the south Pacific.  Just like Dakota, I want to get to know my family members and know where I came from.  However, in the meantime, I'm grateful for the magic of technology that can bring families together....even when we're oceans apart. 

Thank you Facebook.