Cousin, Sister, Me
Friday, December 4, 2009
Cousin Lunch
Phone calls this week from my oldest cousin to my sister and from my sister to me set up a lunch for the three of us in Hondo at a restaurant with as much history as our childhoods. We sat at a quiet table from 11:30 to 4:30, but we were anything but quiet since we see our cousin so rarely.
Story after story we pieced together our memories like a crazy quilt, nothing orderly but layered with colorful bits of lives we remembered. Throughout the reminiscing one theme emerged: women in our previous generations were tough. They were resourceful and assertive, firmly nurtured relationships, and expected the best of themselves and their families. By comparison, we also caught up with the disjointed features of later generations and what we miss about the dwindling number of family gatherings.
As we said our goodbyes in the parking lot, fresh addresses packed carefully in our purses, the poignancy of the moment hit harder. Questions about the likelihood of future lunches filled my chest and throat but never left my lips. The cold wind brushed over our warm kisses to remind us that perhaps we were in the winters of our lives, and one more hug might reaffirm a commitment not to wait too long to meet again.
Story after story we pieced together our memories like a crazy quilt, nothing orderly but layered with colorful bits of lives we remembered. Throughout the reminiscing one theme emerged: women in our previous generations were tough. They were resourceful and assertive, firmly nurtured relationships, and expected the best of themselves and their families. By comparison, we also caught up with the disjointed features of later generations and what we miss about the dwindling number of family gatherings.
As we said our goodbyes in the parking lot, fresh addresses packed carefully in our purses, the poignancy of the moment hit harder. Questions about the likelihood of future lunches filled my chest and throat but never left my lips. The cold wind brushed over our warm kisses to remind us that perhaps we were in the winters of our lives, and one more hug might reaffirm a commitment not to wait too long to meet again.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Home Again
Being home again brings mixed feelings. Our time in Minnesota flew by so quickly, but I knew from the beginning it would come to an end, didn't want to think about it, but knew it had to come to an end. I don't know other families that do what we do, stay together several times a year under one roof for a week, sometimes more, functioning as a family unit headed by whoever hosts us. We fell into this pattern without thinking or planning, simply fulfilling a desire to share our lives for a time and realizing that our goal is not to live this way indefinitely.
We celebrated our annual tri-holiday weekend with Thanksgiving Thursday, Anniversary Friday, and Christmas Saturday and Sunday. This year we took a new approach to the traditional Thursday menu and limited the first meal to turkey, cornbread dressing, sausage stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, and cranberry sauce. No other sides allowed! The plan for the second meal included all the leftovers with the freshly made sides, but you know what they say about plans. This new twist in the menu made the day much more relaxed and fed us our favorites when we were the hungriest. Saturday was the usual tamales with chili, a spicy change our bodies craved by that time, but I think many families take such a Tex-Mex break for their taste buds. Probably the strangest success was a breakfast of baked brie smothered with a brandied cranberry pecan relish and accompanied with croissants, flat bread, biscotti, and lush Vashon Island coffee. Enough about food.
On another day I may get to the dinner and the performance we saw Friday night when the adults went out and the granddaughters stayed with the sitter. Then there's the Christmas tree decorating and how much faster it went this year with the granddaughters helping more than ever. I want to remember every little moment.
We celebrated our annual tri-holiday weekend with Thanksgiving Thursday, Anniversary Friday, and Christmas Saturday and Sunday. This year we took a new approach to the traditional Thursday menu and limited the first meal to turkey, cornbread dressing, sausage stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, and cranberry sauce. No other sides allowed! The plan for the second meal included all the leftovers with the freshly made sides, but you know what they say about plans. This new twist in the menu made the day much more relaxed and fed us our favorites when we were the hungriest. Saturday was the usual tamales with chili, a spicy change our bodies craved by that time, but I think many families take such a Tex-Mex break for their taste buds. Probably the strangest success was a breakfast of baked brie smothered with a brandied cranberry pecan relish and accompanied with croissants, flat bread, biscotti, and lush Vashon Island coffee. Enough about food.
On another day I may get to the dinner and the performance we saw Friday night when the adults went out and the granddaughters stayed with the sitter. Then there's the Christmas tree decorating and how much faster it went this year with the granddaughters helping more than ever. I want to remember every little moment.
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