Family closeness can travel through recipes, expressions, and habits as much as visits.

Distance does not end the transmission of a family. The way you salt something, a phrase you use without knowing where it came from, the particular way your household treats a visitor: these carry people across years and countries more reliably than regular visits do. Presence is not the only medium. A great deal gets passed on without anybody deciding to pass it.

Name one habit of yours that came from a relative, and say so out loud next time it appears. Ask an older family member where a phrase or a recipe started, since that answer often has a whole life behind it.