Today was a planned Zero. I need to give a little back story. My sister Kari has been doing a lot of research on Ancestry and trying to find long lost relatives. She enticed me to play along and so I spit in a tube and started getting all this information back. I’m definitely Scottish, with some Irish, English and Norwegian. That’s seems reasonable as that was what we have been told most of our lives.

The interesting part is when Ancestry.com starts linking you with possible relatives. I received a message that I may be related to Chase Richardson. Being that is my maiden name, I bit. I contact Chase. Long story short, Chase is in fact my long-lost cousin, grandson to my Uncle Jim and Aunt Norma. Oh my goodness, he is my biological fathers brother.

Jim and Norma live in New Jersey and so I rented a car and visited them today. I haven’t seen either since I was 5 yo, which I surely do not remember. We all went camping in Sequoia National Park, one of my mothers favorite places to take us as kids. Jim and Norma moved out of their home and are now living in a Assisted Care Facility called Brooksdale in Florence. It’s a nice place with lots to do.

Uncle Jim and I caught up on the past 50 plus years and have much to talk about. Aunt Norma played Bingo and we all meet up in the afternoon. She won a stuffed monkey, which I now have possession of. It’ll be hiking with me to Maine. It weighs next to nothing and I could use it as a pillow. What a gas it was to talk with them both. They’ve been married for 70 years, have 3 children, 6 grandchildren and lots of great-grandchildren. I have tons of cousins after all.

Needless to say, I’ll be back to visit. I thank God that I had this opportunity to spend time with them both. Jim is going to be 90 this year, and besides his typical aches and pains, he’s doing quite well. I was amazed that he bent over to pick up some ice cubes that dropped on the floor. Had no problem touching the ground, and I didn’t hear any grunting. No one has heard from Willy, his brother, my biological father for quite sometime. He may have passed on.

I did talk to Jim about his faith. I needed to know. He believes there is a higher power, and definitely a Creator. I told him how much peace and joy I have knowing that my Mother knew the Lord, and we will see each other again. I’d like to be confident that I’ll see him when we pass. Jim said you’re absolutely right. I do believe that we will be in heaven together, and with that, we said goodbye. But this time, it won’t be 50 years!