Family Forum / Parenting / Mothers / September 2005

For  those of you who were keeping track, yesterday was the Big 50th wedding
anniversary party for my parents.  My mom planned it all, wouldn't let us
kids in on the planning, but we did help with the actual preparations.  The
party itself was a great success, with all having plenty to eat, kids
enjoying play and such.  The best part, though, was seeing cousins, aunts
uncles and others whom I've not seen since I was in college as much as 30
years ago. Now that my parental generation is aging into their 60's-80's I
can clearly see who they look like from the previous generation.  which is
so cool.  My cousins, several of whom are hitting 60, some of whom are just
hitting 40 and have young families, were so cool.  I would not have
recognized most of them if I'd passed them on the street, sad to say.  But
we all got talking and in several cases it was like the years had not
intervened.  DS had a grand time meeting cousins he didn't know he had.
They ran and played until dark, when we left [dog did need to be let out
pretty bad when we got home.....] One sign of the times is that in our small
family there were three of us homeschooling [although one graduated last
spring, so I guess that means technically only two families are
homeschooling this year].  I ended up chatting with one cousin, my very
oldest cousin, who lives in South Carolina now, about how hard it is to live
so far away from the rest of the family.  He is being emotionally tugged to
come home, too, likes the area he lives, but feels the distance and worries
about his aging mom [age 86].

I'd go on and on, but most of this would bore you all.  It was a great time
and I hope I am wrong when I say that I suspect the next time I'll see all
those folks together will be a funeral. Maybe not, next June is Uncle
Richard and Aunt Helen's 60th anniversary.  I wouldn't be surprised if Susie
and Dick coordinated a fete for them......

-Aula, getting ready to go find a newspaper.