Wrapped in His Grace: Family and Home

FAMILY

What makes you appreciate your family? What defines family for you? We spent the weekend with about 100 members of our family. Some young and some not so young. We ate, swam, talked, laughed, ate, drank beer, danced, and ate some more. We are from Wisconsin, Texas, Michigan, Washington, New York, Maine, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts. We try to get together yearly and most of the aunts and uncles do, its the rest of us that are hit or miss.

We had a good representation of all of our families! My cousins who are mostly in their 40's haven't changed much but their children have grown like wild weeds. Taller, more mature, and moving into different stages of life. Its fun to hear of their adventures and of the turns their lives are taking. Two of my cousin's children have graduated college this year and will be teaching in the fall.

After our large family gathering we were invited to "The Farm". One of my cousin's had been a dairy farmer. All growing up it was so exciting to see the cows, help milk them and start to understand a little of the process it takes to get milk from the cow in Wisconsin to my breakfast table in Renton. Several years ago they sold the cows and began leasing the farm land, however they still live in the farm house with the big red barn. Alexander got a ride on the four-wheeler to the neighbor's berry patch to eat raspberries. He also pet a horse and saw some cows up close. Our time on the farm was shorter that I would have liked but, we have other adventures waiting.

HOME

After leaving the farm we went into a more rural area of Wisconsin (if one actually exists) to visit my dad's old buddy and his wife (Rich and Paula). I was a little anxious because traveling with two children is one thing but imposing them on someone else is a completely different thing. It turns out I had absolutely nothing to be anxious about. Paula hasn't met a child she didn't immediately fall in love with and Rich just takes her lead. Before dinner was served, she had loved on both of my children with the kind of love only Grandmas are able to give.

Rich and Paula have a house on the corner lot. They have swings, pool, sand box, they've turned their garage into an air conditioned family/dining/relaxing/tv watching room. They have spices in the tool box and tools in the refrigerator. In other words a kids' paradise. They have seven children, 19 grandchildren, 7 great-grand children. All of which come and go at all times of the day and night. Each person is greeted with a big hello and a hug. Anyone that enters through their door is immediately part of their family.

We have spent two days alternating between the swing, the pool, and driving toy cars on the sidewalk. Alexander has learned to pump his feet to make the swing keep going, swim using arm floats, and has realized he can trap Dora into the car and push it so that she's not bothering him.  Miss Dora has learned that swinging is fun, she has to swim with an adult (after much protest from her) and that whatever her brother is doing is worth investigating on her own.  Its been two days with some great people, hearing new stories of my dad's wild days, and encouraging Alexander to fly a little further from the nest.

Life on vacation has been fantastic so far! Well, other than the record setting heat we've been having although with a pool and an air conditioned room, the heat is just a slight inconvenience.

I'll leave you with a poem hanging in Paula's kitchen:

HOME
Where you can be silent
    and still be heard . . . .
Where you can ask
    and find out who you are . . .
Where people laugh with you
    about yourself . . .
Where sorrows are divided
    and joys are multiplied . . .
Where we share . . and we love . . . and we grow.

Where is your home?