Summer Gathering




Last week found our home filled with family from Minnesota, Denver and California. All here for our nieces wedding. We shared 3 event filled days leading up to the finale - the Sunday wedding. Monday evening everyone gathered in our home for a dinner gathering before they began heading back to their homes. We began out in our backyard with tables and blankets spread out on the grass where groups gathered in small clusters to eat and share this last evening together. As the warmth of the day was replaced by the already arriving cooler evenings everyone moved back into our house. What I love about large family gatherings is that all these magical clusters take place without any planning or intention. At one point my niece from Minnesota came over to me and said, "I love the coziness of the evening". One aunt was reading stories to two nieces in the library area, a group was in the living room playing a game, another nephew was playing his guitar, others were in the kitchen just hanging out and another niece was reading a book and called me over to discuss it with her. I think this is the best that life can offer. We have this amazing painted chair in our kitchen. It was a chair from my parents kitchen. A couple of years ago while our ten year old niece was visiting from Minnesota on a rainy summer day we needed a rainy day project. And on that day the painted chair was born. Our rule is you have to eat or cook in our kitchen to be able to sign the chair. So as our evening came to a close the chair became the center of attention and the painting began and went on into the night.

If this chair could speak. . .

1 comment:

bodavian said...

I was there that day, eating watermelon on that blanket with you and our little MH. That chair--the chair--has such sentimental value, and I treasure all those visits to your house.