Sure, the gathering at Aunt Alice's place did not turn out into this love and sharing fest that we had hoped. However, the important thing is to learn from the experience and to do it better next time.
Sure, there are always going to be detractors and people questioning our purpose. That was always going to be the case. We can't force everyone to love us just for who we are, and so we are going to have to cop the criticisms. Fair enough.
Sure, there is always going to be suspicion. What good will come out of this? Why should we share it on a blog for everyone (strangers included to read)? Why not just let bygones be bygones ...
I believe that when people have a vision and start doing something out of most people's comfort zone, the number one question is "What skeletons are we going to drag out of the closet?".
The answer is "Nothing". This is not a platform for hatred and negativity, nor it is a egotistic exercise. It can be viewed as an informative exercise but more importantly, I personally see this as a platform for us cousins, uncles, aunties, brothers, sisters, nephews, nieces to reconnect.
With the death of the two linchpins - our grandparents - our relationships and connections have become more fragmented, and our gatherings have been relegated to weddings, Chinese New Year and the occasional get-together when someone returns. With everyone leading their own busy lives, we are always going to find lesser and lesser time to socialise in person, and since some of us, like myself, is away in another land, I wanted to find a platform to rekindle my relationships with many important people in my life, namely you.
My vision is for us to be able to reach a stage in life where we are able to talk about the things that matter. Not the mundane work, weather or anything just to past the time, but feelings and emotions and ultimately develop deeper connection between us all. Love is ultimately what we all seek in life, so I want to establish a safe place for us to start this.
We may not get many comments or remarks yet, but this is not going to discourage us. We are still going to get the same criticisms, but we are bent on soldiering on ... to celebrate love, family and relationships. You can join us in celebrating or you can sit on the fence and watch, but we are going to carry on, until the world changes. It is not going to be easy but we are going to keep trying just because we care, and we can.
