Every two years when we do this week long family reunion I always have the same last minute anxieties...will everyone enjoy themselves but more important will they enjoy each other? With such a diverse group of people, with strong personalities, will there be fireworks? (and I don't mean 4th of July ones!)
Have we prepared enough of all the things we deem essential? Christmas stuff. Birthday stuff. Craft stuff. Game stuff. For Pete's sake!....it's a timeshare condo. It has amenities...pool. club house. tennis courts. etc. etc. Why do I bring 113 items from the dollar store??!!
Each of the 4 connecting condos are furnished with all you would need but I haul enough paper goods and soap items to open a mini-mart!
And I've not even yet mentioned the foodstuffs for meals! Yes, we could buy there but I still haul the majority along!!!
The small truck will end up looking like the Beverly Hillbillies vehicle when they pulled into town! The van will be stuffed also. The girls will have pillows and blankets stacked beside them, almost like another seat partner and I did the stacking!!!
We pack water toys including 2 queen size! air-mattresses that our grandchildren love to float on, dive off of, lay on, sit on and spend feet-dangling time, or sitting cross-legged in a circle while visiting. Reminding me of something Huckleberry Finn would do.
We are ridiculous, know it and yet don't seem to reign ourselves in and be sensible, practical and dignified in the least. We just pile on more stuff and hope that no one we know sees us on the exodus excursion!! We would embarrass ourselves and them perhaps!
In spite of my mind, that worries itself with imaginary estrangement scenarios, that never transpire, it will all turn out just wonderful. That is a given also!! I will obsess for 24 hours about the family imploding or exploding and then the hour of reality arrives and....
(beautiful peaceful background music. just imagine that sound) There they are! My wonderful adult children, their marvelous spouses and our fantastic grandchildren will all be laughing and hugging and talking all at once and I sigh a huge sigh of relief. I soak in, absorb, bask in, the atmosphere of love and say a silent prayer of gratitude that they have safely arrived. There is nothing like a family reunion!!! Sigh.
(this I know for sure. If we were attempting that original trek from Nauvoo, and I packed with no restrictions, our wagon wheels would be so mired in, not even a double oxen team could dislodge us!)
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