Family reunion

Family gathered around my Mom in Western New York Memorial Day weekend. Not everyone could be there but a pretty good number were on hand. I was reunited with siblings and members of my tribe I had not talked to in a long time. I was a bit startled to realize that this significant chunk of humanity was all together because of two people - my Mom and Dad. Life surprises. Lives surprise I should say. These lives lived over the years as mine had. I had not kept up very well other than snatches of information about so and so every so often. There were graduations and grad schools, marriages that brought outsiders into the family unit, and many birthdays. We were older, no doubt. There had been sicknesses, and deaths; divorces and remarriages; children who seemed to be doing well and others who were struggling with all the things people struggle with today. There were grandparents raising grandkids, single parents raising children on their own and gay parents raising their children in traditional ways. There were married, and unmarried and formerly married and never married. There were plenty of stories if you had time to listen. A variety of stories but that was no different from most family gatherings. There were persons who had and were making great sacrifices in family, or marriage or career choices. Not that they would say so but I thought so as I listened. I thought in these days of Trump, who models a life so totally wrapped up in himself, that it was good to find so many people wrapped up in others. I don't know why I was surprised to find this; I had not gone looking for it. But, I was glad to be back with my family celebrating my Mom's 90th birthday. After all she had done for us.