Our Kind of People

About ten years ago I made a pact with my cousin that seemed a bit improbable at the time.  It was to return to the Chinese village where our grandfather was born.  The same town he left more than 70 years ago for a new life in the States.  After our grandparents passed, us second gens began wondering more about life in modern China.  The decision  to make thew trek and pay our respects was simple but the journey was complex both logistically and emotionally.  Wonder and excitement gave way to a deep longing for what has come and gone over the years, and eventually lead to a new level of gratitude and shift in values.  The mere act of meeting "our people", in "the village" and honoring our ancestors on Tomb Sweeping day, has brought a whole new meaning to family, home and heritage.  I'm already looking forward to tell the next generation about where we are from.