Heading North

Every once and awhile there are those family events that you just can't miss.  On Saturday our family will be gathering to celebrate my niece's graduation, my MIL's birthday, and my SIL's annual pig roasting party.  I've never been up to my SIL's house or seen the campground where my MIL has a summer cabin.  Actually, the last time I was in Ohio was back in the 80's.  I stopped up there in a "swing around" trip to NY to leave for a church trip to Europe.  So it has been a long time.  And it has been at least ten years since all my MIL's kids have been together.  Most of us have seen each other since then - but at different times and not all together.

MIL had a total of eight children.  She had five children with Hubby's dad, and three girls with M.  Hubby's older brother was killed in Vietnam and his sister L was killed in a shooting.  Of the three daughters MIL had with M, two remain - one having died at thirty.  So Hubby now has four sisters. Oh - and MIL's hubby M had a daughter, L.  Supposedly - they are all supposed to be there.  MIL is already planning a picture.  After all - the last picture taken with them all was twenty years or so ago at R's wedding.  Let's just say that significant changes have taken place since then - which include divorces and weight gains.  I'm a weight gain issue.

Now this type of situation is very interesting to me - family dynamics being a mystery to me since I am the un and only of my family.  I thoroughly enjoy watching families - from a distance.  It is when you put me in the midst of the fray that I feel uncomfortable.  When you gather my Hubby's Dad's family (his Dad had seven siblings) you can easily get a few hundred people together. You should have seen Jbird's eyes when we went up to NJ (the home place of Hubby's crew) for my FIL's funeral.  Jbird just kept asking, "Are we related to them too?"  Ummm... yup.

So - we are packing, doing chores and getting ready to hit the road.  Pray for cool weather.  It is an outside gathering and I don't do heat.  I've got some weird condition where I just get hotter and hotter and don't sweat.  There will be stuff here to read - thanks to Typepad.

Pray also for my friend J who is heading to her daughter's in Las Vegas on Sunday - travel mercies.  L who is in the process of closing on their house and moving into an apartment with three children - just plain grace and mercy.  Blessings to you all and yours.