Generations

Family Tangle
Ink on Smooth Bristol©BEDeuel Bronson Hill Arts

This month we had our annual family reunion. 

The gathering was started as a graduation celebrating our oldest daughter when she finished high school. It was such a wonderful experience, the decision to create an annual gathering was made.

It's not just a reunion though: it's a way to connect to a large, semi-scattered group of people who are intimately tied to each other by blood or marriage or less "traditional" relationships. And, even though we only really bring this many of the limbs of the family tree together one time a year, you realize that they are all a part of you and the course that your life has taken.

Gatherings like these make us whole. And remind us that our family will only continue to grow.

Seeing my children playing and fawning over my great-nieces and nephews, makes it clear that they want that connection. The great-nieces & great-nephews of varying ages taking care of each other, just naturally bonding, shows how much they belong together. And it is amazing. Listening to family stories and adventures brings the proverbial laughter and tears and, mostly, understanding.

We realize we are family, quirks and all. We belong to each other and we love each other.