You don't get to choose your family

I lost my maternal grandfather on the 5th November. To say I had any feelings would be wrong. The truth is I didn't know the man. In my 27 years I can count the times I've met him on one hand. My mother left both my sister and I when we were 5 and 3 years of age . She had very little contact since. The truth is I've not seen her for 17 years. She wanted boys and ended up with girls, my parents marriage dissolved and she moved away. She always blamed my dad for the marriage going south but she was the one who walked away. She got remarried, had another daughter and pretended we didn't exist.
I always put on a front that her walking away doesn't bother me but deep down I suppose it does.  Since I've become a mother I find it difficult to understand why anyone would walk away from their children. She knows she's a grandmother and I've given her opportunity after opportunity to meet the kids and close the door on the past but she just doesn't want to know.
It's not just her though that whole side of the family just don't want to know. Sure they add you on Facebook but then all I ever get are games requests. No actual conversation has taken place. So I deleted them. It felt therapeutic, it felt amazing. That baggage gone. I'm through with trying to hold a connection that isn't there.
My mother's youngest sister was the one who let me know that my grandfather had passed away. She's the only one on that side that cares. She went out of her way to find my sister and I because no one would tell her where we were. She's great! There's nothing you couldn't like about her. She spends the summer months travelling around in a yellow bus to festivals setting up shop. Her kids are great as well and they're great with our kids. I'd love one year to travel with them just for a couple of weeks.  I've not seen them for about year but we keep in touch. Unfortunately she lives down south and trying to find the time when we are both free can prove to be challenging.
At least she makes an effort some relatives that live much closer don't seem to make an effort. It's not like I don't include them but it's never returned. The mr tells me it's their loss but I can't help but feel the kids are the ones who are missing out.
I guess it's true what they say you can't choose your family.