The Games We Play, and The Connections We Make … or Break!

There are moments in your life when you know things are not going to be the same again. For Hans, this happened (again) recently.

Christmas Eve, we used to gather at my parents’ home, and then later, we used to gather at our home, and since the separation, we went back to gathering at my parents’ home. Hans and I were there 2 days ago, and so were ASid and his girlfriend, with the rest of our family and family friends. On the 24^th, we play the game of Sneaky Santa where presents are opened and presents are stolen, and there are highs and lows, and general pandemonium. This year, the coveted present was a box of Pokémon cards in a sweet collectible tin.

The moment where Hans registered that his brother was no longer his was the moment ASid ‘stole’ the tin of cards from Hans to give his lady love. That moment was also not lost on me. And I decided to steal that tin from my firstborn for my lastborn. It was just a game, but for a moment it became all about life. I had to let Hans know that his mother was still alive and well, and in his corner. Emotions were riding the proverbial rollercoaster. Eventually, the tin ended up with Hans.

Yesterday, Hans was worried that he may have hurt his cousin’s feelings over the quest for this tin. I told him not to worry. My nephew has my brother in his corner. He will be okay. And at the end of the day, Hans also has ASid in his corner.

It feels like we have lost our loved ones when they find their loves. That feeling, fortunately, is momentary. At the risk of coming across as cheesy on a Boxing Day, I will end by writing that we are simply expanding our universe of love. We can make a new connection or risk breaking an existing one simply because of a moment where we think we have lost a loved one to someone else.

Hans not only has his tin, but he also has another person in his life now who will eventually love him like a brother.