Finding Mario...

Is there someone that you have not spoken to in a long time? How do you feel about that? For me there are many people who I have lost contact with and it bothers me tremendously. I mean, family who have basically disappeared who shaped some of my happier Christmas memories. You see, when I was 15 my father, who was only 40 died of lung cancer. He was diagnosed in October and three short months later he was buried. It was a traumatic event as I watched my once strong father become so frail in less than 90 days. It was life changing. If you can remember what life was like for you when you were 15 you know how challenging that age can be already and mix in the sudden loss of the your dad, the only man in your life, its devastating.

Within that year, his family embraced us and helped us through, but shortly afterwards other things happened (my mother found a boyfriend and remarried) and some of my father's family disappeared from our lives. Sure, some were unintentional  and those are the ones that I have been on a quest to find. I would like to tell you about the story of my cousin Mario.

Mario was the cute cousin who lived in Canada. He was the son of my father's favorite brother and of the brother who never would beat him up when he was little. My father was the youngest of 8 children and with four older brothers he was their target for a good old fashion beat down. My father used to always tell us stories about how be loved his brother Alfred so much because he was always the one who would defend him. Alfred lived in Canada while we lived in the states so my dad and him rarely saw each other, but when they did it was epic. I can remember one time when my father received a phone call that his brother Alfred was in town and he was coming over. When my father heard the knock on our door he swung the door open and he and his brother Alfred embrace in the biggest bear hug that I had ever seen. It was such a powerful embrace that they even knocked over one of my mother's fancy statues that she had. My father and uncle were teary eyed and the two chatted for hours until it was time for my uncle to leave.

Fast forward to the year my father died. My uncle Alfred invited us to spend the Christmas holiday with him and his family. I had just turned 16 and spending time away from my friends was not something that I wanted to do, but it was such a great Christmas. It was the first Christmas without my father, but my cousin Mario made it his mission to make it the best Christmas for us. At the time New Kids on the Block were the loves of my life as with every teenage girl at that time. I can remember going to the mall with Mario and my brother and him smiling from ear to ear as he handed me a bag with a ton of New Kids stuff. The bag has dolls, CD's and magazines. It was crazy. Looking back at it now, Mario could not have been any more that 21 at the time and he spent a ton of money on me and I have not even mentioned what he got for my brother, but how happy he was to give us these gifts is what I remember most.

My brother and I were talking about Mario the other day and about how much we would love to talk to him again. So I have made it my mission to find him. I think he is still in the Ottawa Ontario Canada area. I have googled him to no avail. I have also tried to find him on Facebook and nothing. IF you happen to know him or find him please send him my way...