The Last Weekend of July

On Saturday:

Family members met together at my sister’s home about 15 miles away. There were 24 of us. Locally, my sister Mildred at whose home we met, and her husband Phil; also, their oldest daughter Melody who lives not far away, with her daughter Kitiara. Their younger daughter Liz (not sure where she lives, somewhere in Indiana, I think) with her husband Jeff and daughter Cheyenne. Then, my son Mike & me.

Then, my oldest sister Leora came from Arkansas with her younger son Ben.

Everyone else came from Michigan – my “young” brother Tommy, his wife Pat, and their younger daughter Suzanne with her husband Bob. My “baby” brother Gale (he’s only 64!) and his wife Carol, his older daughter Jenny with her 2 daughters Katie & Emily, who are “clones” of her; and his younger daughter Amy with her husband Rene and twin babies Alex and Anna.

Some of these I hadn’t seen in years; others I had never seen. It was a good get together, although hectic, because the original purpose for scheduling the get-together was a communty gathering near our old family home.

On Sunday:

Many went to church, or at least to Sunday School before heading off to Munderf. I met old acquaintances I hadn’t seen since I was a kid; there quite a few that I hadn’t seen for some time. I even met relatives that I didn’t know existed!
The high point for me was when the grandson of a cousin of mine said the blessing before we started to eat. The reason this touched me so much is that he looks so much like his father who, as far as I know, never darkened the door of a church.

Many of us will probably never meet on this earth again. There were a number of people in their mid-seventies, some who had come a long distance. And then there were the younger people, like Jenny’s girls & Amy & Rene’s twins. The twins will be a year old this month.

(Originally posted August 7, 2006)