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I enjoyed our family gathering yesterday, even if I did eat too much food. It was good to chat with my aunts, uncles and cousins, as well as the few of my father's cousins that dropped in. I was disappointed that two of my cousins and their families couldn't be here, though. One couldn't make it because their car is in the shop for an insurance repair, and the contract for the rental they are using doesn't allow them to come this far. As for his brother, the official story is that he can't afford the time off, having just started a new job a couple of weeks ago, but someone also relayed the story that he apparently said something about not being able to spend that much time in the car with his wife. I hope that was a joke, because I would hate to think that he and his wife are having relationship troubles.
The entire event had a much more restrained feel than it usually does, probably because of the situation with my grandfather. My father and uncles did sit down with him yesterday, and it sounds like he took the news far better than anyone expected that he would. Still, it was a difficult and stressful morning for those directly involved, but it needed to be done. We couldn't keep pretending that there was a chance he would be able to live on his own...there were too many people who knew that we were emptying out his apartment, and eventually he would have found out from someone, which would have made things much worse. My parents are relieved, because it gets things out in the open, and they can now focus on his health issues, instead of his living arrangements.
I wish I could get more time to spend with this extended family. I enjoy visiting with them, but seeing them just this one time each year never feels like enough. Looking back, I remember these gatherings as being far more fun when I was younger. My brothers, my cousins, and I would play and talk all day and far into the evening. Now, we find ourselves more involved in setting the event up and cleaning up afterwards, and it feels like we have less time with each other. It may just be my perception, but it always leaves me a bit melancholy in the evening, as I realize that the day is done and we will soon be going our separate ways for another year.
The entire event had a much more restrained feel than it usually does, probably because of the situation with my grandfather. My father and uncles did sit down with him yesterday, and it sounds like he took the news far better than anyone expected that he would. Still, it was a difficult and stressful morning for those directly involved, but it needed to be done. We couldn't keep pretending that there was a chance he would be able to live on his own...there were too many people who knew that we were emptying out his apartment, and eventually he would have found out from someone, which would have made things much worse. My parents are relieved, because it gets things out in the open, and they can now focus on his health issues, instead of his living arrangements.
I wish I could get more time to spend with this extended family. I enjoy visiting with them, but seeing them just this one time each year never feels like enough. Looking back, I remember these gatherings as being far more fun when I was younger. My brothers, my cousins, and I would play and talk all day and far into the evening. Now, we find ourselves more involved in setting the event up and cleaning up afterwards, and it feels like we have less time with each other. It may just be my perception, but it always leaves me a bit melancholy in the evening, as I realize that the day is done and we will soon be going our separate ways for another year.
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Date: 2014-07-06 06:34 pm (UTC)