My thoughts today are not on his death and life but about my family who came in from all over the United States to pay their respects and love. It was great to see my remaining brother and sisters and the in-laws plus nieces and nephews. It was like a large family reunion.
It was a difficult time for everyone until the service on Saturday, afterwards my mom's church supplied lunch for all of us and then my baby brother had everyone to his house. We have a background of Irish Catholic, so it was a type of good ol' Irish wake. Much alcohol was consumed (almost as much as my aunts and uncles did when my grandmother passed away) and great stories and memories were shared by all.
On the drive home my lovely wife and I were discussing trying to arrange some type of annual reunion instead of waiting for a catastrophic event to occur. We observed that when you try to plan a reunion there is always a conflict somewhere, or it's too hot/cold at that time. There always seems to be some type of excuses.
I heard through my son that the "cousins" have decided that they will not wait that long to get together again.
I encourage them - set a date, let everyone know and those that don't make it will miss a great time.
Because it shouldn't take someone dying to remind us how precious life is and how much we need each other.
