Reflecting on Family

Yesterday was father's day and next Sunday is my parents 50th wedding anniversary.

I am spending some time with my whole family: Parents, two sisters, and 5 nieces and nephews. It is so much fun to reconnect, talk about our childhood, watch the unfolding of new childhoods, and hear the oral history of the family. My family has long generations- what I mean is that my mother's mother was 34 when she had her first child, my own mother was 31 when she had her first child, and my sisters were 32 and 29 respectively when they had their first children. This is not the norm in the town I currently live in- generations are significantly shorter there- like 18-20 years between generations.

I can't help it- I admit that I see the pedigree in my head- I see the standard format for portraying a dog's genealogy in my head as we discuss my Dad's grandmother, or my mother's mother. I think about my dogs and how nice it is to have intimate personal knowledge of each of each of the individuals who make up these important pieces of the next generations. I did have the good fortune of knowing all 4 of my grandparents. Our family is also blessed with good health and longevity. My grandparents were wonderful people with very interesting lives, and often I wish I could ask them questions. I do rejoice in the fact that I did know my grandparents into my teen years, and my sister's children are having the same opportunity with their grandparents. Family is important and it sure is nice to be grounded in one's roots.