Dear Downhome,

This letter is to thank the Downhome magazine and one of its faithful readers, Mr. Merle Barnes of Lower Sackville, N.S. for putting me in contact this past January with my cousin Carolyn Seeley Mayo of Newfoundland. In a letter to me, Mr. Barnes, who describes himself as an amateur sleuth, recounts in great detail the process he undertook for finding Carolyn. Wanting to check both sides, he then did a search on me to determine whether I was legitimate in who I said I was. I passed the test!

Your magazine has taken the number one item off of my bucket list, an item that has been there for many years. Carolyn and I had not seen each other since 1964 and the desire to reconnect has long been on my mind. We had made a brief but strong connection as kids.

Deciding to see her again I booked a flight to St. John's in June and was met at the airport by Carolyn and her wonderful husband George. Time was erased the moment Carolyn and I wrapped our arms around each other. The warmth and love that I felt from those two people I feel few folks in this world ever get to experience. I am attaching a photo of the two of us at their home in Portugal Cove and it is apparent to me the connection, that we once shared, is still going strong.

In the coming years I hope there will be a well worn path between Nova Scotia and Newfoundland as long as we all are on this earth.

We cannot thank the Downhome magazine enough for making this family reunion happen.

My wish would be that every reunion would be as happy as ours.

Sandy
  Submitted By: Sandy Hiltz