Thanks for this Family, now and then ~ part 3

With 26 in attendance, it’s hard to fit them in one photo. It was sunny but cold, so we tried. We got 21.

There’s 4 here without prior photos:

• Bonnie, Bill’s sister

• Jen, Bonnie’s daughter

• Caspar, Lorri’s grand nephew

• Donald, husband and truck driving partner. (I think he was squatting as he’s the tallest in the group.)

  

  
  The 5 missing are Cal, who took the great picture, Jessie and Matt, who arrived after this, my daughter Danielle, who left for Wisconsin earlier in the week. And Phillip. Oh, here he is!

  

  
  Woulda been nice if Sharon & Bill’s other grandson, Hayden, coulda joined us too.
  

  

  
  If I got carried away with this theme, realize that everyone, except my daughter, I hadn’t visited in at least 8 years. Wayyyyy too long.
  
  And though it wasn’t intended to be a full family reunion, I gotta highlight some others. For reasons.
  
  Danielle got to see Cape Cod for the first time. It was windy when I got this rare selfie at New Silver Beach.

She flew to Wisconsin to visit her sister - my youngest daughter, Johannah - and their maternal cousin Katie. (bottom) They took in a game. I woulda loved it if Jo, her three boys (Jayden, Braylon, Colton) and her husband Randy coulda come for the dinner.

I already reported the tragic news that my friend and sister-in-law, Leah, passed away the morning after I returned home. I wish she had joined in, along with her kids.
Here’s an older photo of some of them, when they visited my Mum in 2011. Not sure what they were tasting, maybe there were unicorns and sugary rainbows in the air.

Then there’s Leah’s oldest kid, Carl, and his two children. Sure would be nice to see all of them again. His sister, Alicia the RN, lives with them in CA but both were busy with stuff, so that couldn’t happen this time.

Their other sister, Rebekah, being a Dr on the East coast, and her husband, Ryan - an automotive painter/interior rehab guy - were busy celebrating Remi’s first birthday. It would be fun to have a full reunion next time.

(Leah with Lucy, Cali, Ryan, and Rebekah with Remi, 2021)

And I can’t introduce you to all the family without Chantal (Medical Insurance Software), Jordan (soon to be a journeyman electrician) and Christopher (Bakery biz), along with his two kids, Kingston & Kleio. And their mom, my sister in law, Monique. Chantal had just bought a house, Chris is running a new business, so the timing wasn’t right for them, either.

There’s another sister in law - Dayle - a couple of nephews in Florida (one is another RN) and lots of my own cousins as well, if we were really gonna go bigtime.

The main point of this tri-part series is three-fold.

• Functional families are fun. Some members may have to scramble through dysfunctions to be fun, or a family might have a dud or two, but over the course of a lifetime, they add an important part, love. And its subsidiaries, kindness & consideration. Along with good health, they are the ultimate wealth.
  

• You never know when you’ll lose them, or they’ll lose you. I’ve lost siblings, cousins, aunts, uncles and parents, some as old as 93 and as young as 49. As I intend to become a septuagenarian next month, I’m reminded more & more that I gotta check in with my loved ones more often. They deserve that and so do I. And unless you come from a seriously abusive family, I’d recommend the same for you.

• Plus, you can add to your family. Any old friend will do. At any time. Take the time to do so. By blood or romance or simple friendship, it’s like Legos, build the family you want and they want. Maybe let a pet rescue you.
  
  

I don’t think politics or religion or even science are the real building blocks of the world. Families are the foundation that build neighborhoods and communities. Ya need to fertilize and water them so civilizations can grow.

Some can be excluded when warranted. Sometimes avenues for redemption and reconnection make sense, too.

What doesn’t work in families or societies is polarization. So reach out, touch base, remind them what you admire about them. Build it up. Don’t be too busy, don’t forget. They need you and you need them.

That’s the point of my (very late) Thanksgiving family message.

And with that, I’ll let the musical section of the family finish with their annual Christmas video. I don’t think they’ll mind me sharing it. To hell with them if they do.

Happy Thanksgiving, Happy Holidays and a Happy Healthy New Year to all!
I thank all of you, friends and readers, who spark kindness and joy and give me crap when you just can’t help yourself, can you?

(Also, if you hurt anyone in my family, I shall have to track you down and, well, you know the rest…)