Celebrate this week

Today I celebrate family.  Come join the celebration hosted by Ruth Ayres here.

Today is my mother’s 79th birthday. It isn’t sunny and we won’t be on the beach, but her brother and his daughter and her children are coming to visit. We will make our own sunshine on the porch. The best thing about my mom’s birthday is being able to celebrate her good health and love of family with her here, in this house that has sheltered many of us for many years.

On Friday, my cousin’s oldest child Kevin, who is nearly 30, spent several hours sitting on the grass out front with my teenage daughters, teaching them to play the guitar.  I loved listening to the music they were making, the missed and made chords, their laughter and quiet conversation. The best thing though was seeing and feeling the love and care that saturated the scene.

Tim (my cousin) and I spent two days this week scraping, sanding and painting the bathroom in the beach house. He is the older brother I never had, and while we worked he shared welcome advice and wisdom.  But the best thing about our time together was listening to his stories about our family- the ups and downs, the funny and sad, the tales of relatives I never met, and others who were gone too soon.

On Wednesday, my girls and I joined friends around a bonfire. It was sweater weather, and the sky was clear and full of stars. But the best thing about that night was that we were a group ranging in age from 6 to 62, and we talked and laughed together until our sides hurt.

Five of us went together to a Jazzercise class on Tuesday. Two were former college athletes now in their twenties, another was a skeptical sixteen year old who loves long runs and lifting weights. We were a big family presence in the class that day. But the best thing was that when the class was over, we all agreed it was a hard workout!

The girls and their 27 year old cousin Ellen prepared and served a feast for dinner on Monday. It was delicious, and I was thrilled to have a night off from cooking. Nine of us gathered for the meal, and as usual the conversation was nonstop. The best thing though was how proud my daughters were of the meal they had prepared.