Yes, this is the band...My 3 brothers and I. But wait, like your favorite infomercial "there's more". And to be fair, not everyone was there. Crystal and my grands were busy getting ready for vacation and Miss Emma (my great niece) was busy elsewhere. But we had some other special guests and that was really great.
Mike and I were in town and Jason was home on leave, so of course there had to be a gathering. And there's no place better than Dan and Julie's. Their's was the home we used to share Thanksgivings and Christmases at. Then covid happened, and then life happened. It had been 3 years since we have had an extended family gathering. I gotta say it was worth the wait.
The guest stars of this event were Aunt Arlene, Charlie and Marlee. It was beautiful with lots of great food and much laughter.
I found myself watching my nieces and nephews with their kids and remembering a time not so long ago, when they were that little. Instead of passing the bucket , it was the torch being passed.
Side note about the bucket; If you have to ask, you’ll never know. If you know, you need only ask.
As I watched the day progress, all I could think about was how much I wished that mom was there. She would have been over the moon. But I take comfort in the fact that there's a piece of her in all of us, and as long as we tell the stories of Norma Jean, she won't ever be gone, not really.
Between covid and politics, this could have gone sideways in a hurry, thankfully it didn't. It was a much needed filling of the family well. I am wildly grateful to Dan and Julie for once again hosting this wild herd of people. You guys never disappoint. Another shout out to Larissa, for being not only our driver and friend, but honorary Seymour member.
Above you will find just some of the photos taken from that day and in the bottom right corner, you'll find a photo of Miss Emma that I took at her baseball game a few days before. I wanted to make sure she knew she was missed, as were my Crystal and grands.
I'm also hoping that someone gets the message to our cousin Lori that we love her, miss her, and wish to God that she feels all the love this family has for her.
There are some sad times to come in our family, as there are in most families- it's the reasons that these gatherings matter. So, until our next gathering-
Be Well, Be Happy, and Safe Travels....