Around the kitchen table...

My mom and dad along with my aunt and uncle drove to Tennessee this weekend to see my Aunt Jean. She's lived in the State of Washington as long as I can remember. Both her and Uncle Ron were vacationing in Kentucky and decided it would be nice if the siblings got together for a short visit. I love this picture that was taken during their visit. It took me by surprise when I first saw it because Aunt Jean looks so much like her mother, my grandmother, especially with her white hair and petite stature. I never realized she was so small. My father (to the right) towers over her and he is only 5'11".


Growing up I was very close to my paternal grandmother. We lived in the same city at one time, although I was too young to remember, and then lived at the beach where I have treasured memories. My Uncle Johnny, or John David as Daddy calls him, lived in Georgia so we were blessed to visit with his family from time to time. I grew up knowing his children, my cousins, the most.

Uncle Johnny was the closest sibling of all of my maternal and paternal aunt and uncles. My mother's brother and sisters lived in the west and my dad's other sister, Carolee, lived in Texas. Although we were far in distance my parents took the time to foster relationships with our extended family. Stories to go with the names and faces. Memories made even if they were many years apart. We still laugh to this day about "Boomer" and "Boomette", nicknames we gave our second cousins when my cousin Brad and his wife Lucia had come to visit after just having begun their family.

I look at this picture and I see how happy my father is with his siblings. I know how much he loves them and cherishes them. I love to see the sparkle in his eyes when he recalls stories from his childhood. Laughter fills the room and he sometimes has to pause until he can regain his composure again.

I'm blessed to have a close family. Close in proximity and in our relationships. We are friends. We would do anything for each other. If you ask them my girls will list each cousin by name as well as their aunts and uncles. They love spending time with them and when the cousins get to spend time together I get to spend time with my brothers and sisters. I love going home to gather around the kitchen table. I love the memories that are shared, but even more so the memories that are made.