Catching Up With Myself

Today is Friday and I finally have a day off. It has been a very busy month, this month of June. No one I know got married but two very significant events occurred. One was the high school graduation of Emily Rose, the eldest daughter of my niece Brenda. There was a large gathering of relatives at their home - with grandparents from California, great-aunt and uncle, aunts, uncles and cousins. In the midst of it all the father of Brenda, Terri and Lori died in Colorado. So the gathering had its ups and downs. I guess I am blogging about this simply to make it a moment in time. Brenda had produced a booklet called "The Wilson Girls" with pictures of the three with their father. When I looked at it I became very emotional (mostly inside) but with a few outside tears. This was a man I had known as a child. I guess we were all children to tell the truth. He became a parent, as did my sister, and three lovely children were produced. Then he left. The events over the years of their rearing and experiences could fill many pages, and they do fill many hours of story telling. Their story cannot be that different from that of many other families and as I think about that I feel almost overwhelmed at the thought that there are so many stories in the world. I think all of them are worth telling - but who would ever have time to read all the stories if they were written. I guess that is why they stay in families - to be told over and over again as families get together for graduations and funerals.

People are remarkable in their accomplishments and our family is no different. I think the children in the family will go on to achieve and not achieve, each to their own abilities. As the family continues to spread, like a pebble falling in a pond, there will be many stories. I hope I get to hear the good ones. The bad ones make me feel sad. I, personally, try to find the greatness in everyone and try to find the reasons why everyone cannot be the first, the greatest, the most talented, the richest. Most of them are OK just like they are. I think that is enough reflection for today. I am taking a break.