Family Reunions, Reminiscing & Writing

Yesterday, I went to a Zero picnic.  In actuality, we were honoring my uncle who turned 90 this year.  Got it?  The zero concept?  But he’s NO zero in the lives of us who were there.  

Others there had a zero in this year: our anniversary year ended with zero; one of his son’s entered another decade—that zero again.  I think a few cousins had done the same since always my aunts would be pregnant about the same time.  His children kept telling my uncle we were celebrating all those milestones since he’s not one to was a “fuss.” 

We all agreed this was the best way to get together.  It’s been funerals over the past several years—if we’ve seen each other at all. 

We represented several states what with the four generations that were there.  The furthest—Washington. Our grandparents, I’m sure, were looking over the gathering and saying to each other: “It’s about time they all got together.” :-)

My uncle makes a great draw.  A WWII vet who served in Alaska, a US border that actually came under attack a few times.  A postal worker until he retired, and during that time he worked a second job.  He raised a large family and he and my aunt brought them up well.  When he retired, he started another career working in the maintenance department for our local school system.  Even now he putters around his home to keep things in tip-top shape. 

He was always around to help.  Family members, friends, organizations, and church.  He had a reputation for enjoying his meals.  My brothers always wanted to be around him at large gatherings because he was near the front of the line and always knew what foods were  tastiest. My grandfather once remarked we should set out plates for us and a platter for Gene.  Yet he remains tall and wiry. 

He knew all the stats for golf, baseball, football, and who knows what else.  I remember coming into his home at times and he’d have two radios going with different games while the TV had a third.  If the weather allowed, he’d get us kids outside to play some kind of ball.  Since I was such a klutz, this wasn’t my favorite activity, but everyone else loved it.  I helped with dishes or kitchen work and learned lots of family history and gossip that way. 

I talked and listened yesterday.  Everyone was “remembering when” in their conversations.  We should have recorded those talks.  When I looked around, I saw such strong family resemblances within my cousins and their families.  Why?  Because my uncle married my mother’s sister, his sister married my mother’s brother.  

But it wasn’t just the facial structures that contained similarities through the generations.  Mannerisms, speech patterns, so much of what I observed reminded me of relatives no longer with us. 

All this boils within me today.  Perhaps someday a tidbit from yesterday will serve to create a scene or the idea for a character.  Even if not, yesterday and the man we were celebrating will always remain in my heart.

Explore posts in the same categories: Memories, Significant Life Events, Uncategorized