Reading this mesmerizing piece triggers some mixed emotions, my cherished Bob! As much as I'm thrilled for you and feel some delightful joy for your rich and nurturing family life, my inner-child can't help but to feel sadness for this extremely important missing part.

I was interviewed by a fellow writer from Medium some time ago. One of her thoughtful questions was, "Which one is your favorite family memory, and why?"

My answer came this way:

"I’m afraid I don’t have any, as sad as it may sound. I was raised in a dysfunctional family system. I was always feeling something was off, and my household never felt like home despite the perfect image sold to the world.

When I was attending college, I rent a small apartment. The owner was such a lovely person that I had the privilege to be invited for lunch or dinner frequently. Each time I was about to leave, my heart was bleeding as I couldn’t understand why I wasn’t able to feel that good when I was sharing the meal with my own family.

A similar experience occurred when I was in Stockholm. My friends hosted me for a month. I can never show all the gratitude I have for the magic stay! They saw my silliest and happiest version because their energy is so welcoming!

They’re real, generous, and hilarious. We were spending hours having dinner talking about everything, and most importantly, giggling! We loved watching movies, eating caramel corn and ice-cream. We were spending our weekends mostly on mother nature after having breakfast at home.

My heart was bleeding when I was about to leave. I spent a month adapting to my place. I still miss them and the rituals we had every day. I’ve secretly (up to this moment 😊) wished they were my family."