A Family Photo
With the final function tonight and the last chance to take a collective memory, the mission for the image came to an end. A family photo.
‘Logistically, a family photo is impossible nowadays’
Today was the W(V)alima.
The last (official) function.
The last chance to get a family photo.
But we’ll get to it.
Although I don’t have a copy of that image with all the parents and all the kids, this alternative exemplifies the issues with doing a group photo.
Today’s function I knew people who came.
I met an old friend.
One I hadn’t seen since 2006 at least.
Georgie or Rayyan was my best friend growing up.
I would always go see him when I was in Karachi.
He bounced around the Middle East and now studies Neuroscience at University of Toronto.
I barely knew anything about him.
Because we didn’t have much of a life when were 8 or 9 years old.
So it was great to catch up with him.
And see his whole family.
Some of which I saw in Cincinnati for Fizza’s wedding in 2011.
And there were some surprises seeing family that I hadn’t seen in at least 10 years.
There was some awkwardness when people recognised me and I had no idea who they were.
Some people I recognised by face and others I just didn’t know.
These unfortunate circumstances arise when you go to weddings.
When you don’t know half the crowd.
But I was able to catch up with some old faces and meet some new ones too.
Our family has grown past its seams.
My generation was the youngest, now there is another one after me.
And they are plentiful.
Everyone has at least one child.
Some have two.
So getting a whole family photo is nearly impossible.
My Mum was insistent on an update on the long-outdated one we have framed somewhere.
It was taken before they all got married and probably before 2005.
And Sadia wasn’t there.
The only way this photo was incomplete was that there was no Dadi (my grandmother).
She’s bed-ridden and has been ill for a long time.
Apart from that, it was a complete photo.
One which I’ll remember a successful trip.
One where I’ll reminisce on the the good times.
I think I enjoyed this trip because I didn’t worry so much.
I went with the flow.
I was cautious.
But I enjoyed my time.
I did my work in the downtime.
But I enjoyed family time.
Kids are growing up.
Excited to see what they all become.
And be part of the journey.
A family photo