family
Up Sides of Reuniting
Yeah, the family reunion is over and I am sad already. My husband’s father retired. Hard working brother. Retired from Ford and is ready to spread his knowledge, his wisdom with the community. See, knowledge, in and of itself, is not power. Shared knowledge is true power. If I know something and I’m benefitting from it, am I really powerful? Well, if I haven’t duplicated myself, planted it good ground, my power lasts for only moment. We are too excited for PaPa. Congrats!
My husband’s aunt and uncle celebrated 58 years of marriage! They stood together, in their right mind, with no physical assistance–walking stick/cane, oxygen tube…nothing. What an inspiration! Longevity. Not to mention that Uncle is still fresh and funny. Flirting all of the time…Auntie is full of grace and patient. Love them.
My mother-in-law put together a great function. Clearly gifted in the event planning and details down to the tee! I need to be her agent. The children were the MCs, introducing the honorees, reading the cards and tributes. How cool is it to get on a mic at a podium in front of 50 people! People commented on how well mannered my children were (they better had been..smile) and how glad they were that I was a part of their family. Who says it doesn’t matter who you marry? Not me. His aunt told me, without me saying a word, that I don’t give myself enough credit for the great job that I’m doing with the kids and that her hat was off to me and to keep doing what I was doing. Tears come to my eyes thinking about it. I’m wondering has she been reading my mail or something. Thanks Aunt Gladys. I needed that.
After not finding the dress shoes, the hair accessories or the stockings for my oldest/after having the baby throw up in the middle of the night and miss out on the cruise along the Detroit River/after one of my contacts were giving me a heck of a time so I was forced to wear my glasses (which always have a glare in the pictures and I was too tired to keep taking them off), I was pretty beat down. I’m a great actress. No one knew. I was being super-critical of myself most of the time (oh, look her hair is a mess/ooops, I forgot her jacket and it’s chilly in here/man, he needs a belt and everybody’s going to be talking about his pants falling down). Am I the only one who gets on the ‘I’m just an awful mother and everyone knows it’ train? Shoot, I gotta an annual pass/frequent traveler miles and priority seating. All aboard!
They love me, they love our family and they encouraged us in every area–homeschooling, my husband’s job, my writing (and my comedy…you guys will get a taste of my first stand-up piece real soon), our marriage, our delayed financial blessings (when you spend 7 years of marriage in school, there is a delay!). So much love was in the Embassy Suites. We even got some extended love as lil baby decided he was going to crash somebody’s else’s reunion next door! They loved him there too.
I will do better about keeping in touch with the little cousins from the last reunion who are now in college and need some guidance, some help sorting through life. I will do better about sending them pictures of the kids and maybe, just maybe, if yall start praying for me now, I’ll get that dagnabit Christmas newsletter out before May of the following year. Uggh! The pressure…I’m such a perfectionist that I might have to have it published by Hallmark or something. Rescue me from myself, Lord.
How do you keep in touch with family in-between reunions? What are some of your favorite memories from family activities?
Discussion
2 comments for “Up Sides of Reuniting”
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so glad to have found your site! (through ebonymom) still going through your archives… as for this entry though, i constantly make promises to myself and others to keep in touch – it never happens. and yet, we manage to pick right up where we left off during the next get together. my maternal side – we get together once a year for the 4th of july weekend and every other year for a big trip. (though, i did not go this past weekend as work got in the way)… you have reminded me to make a few phone calls and get a few email addresses. i am thinking that i really need to get some pictures out ASAP.
my all time favorite reunion memory was 2004’s trip to north carolina – i was pregnant at the time, as was my cousin’s girlfriend… it was the first time my husband had attended, and we all… just celebrated the new folks in the family and exchanged parenting stories… wonderful. plus, hubby had to try the family’s moonshine, and i believe both possum and ‘coon. ah – gotts love southern folk!
Kenya, thanks so much for stopping by. Family moonshine? Now I thought that only happened at my Mississippi reunions. Possum and coon?!…Girl you know you gotta put some rabbit up in there too. Look forward to you sharing here more often.