A Suburban from Farm Country Heads to the City
Today I am grateful to live in a democracy where I can freely cast my vote in elections. I am also grateful for rain this morning.
I hope the election is a smooth one and that those impacted by Sandy out east are able to cast their votes.
Now there's more to tell about my weekend. After my visit with Sheila, the second part of my weekend was all about family. But let me back up a little. I made the trip to Chicago with six other travelers. Three sets of sisters and a real sister. We took my sister Zita's Suburban and we needed all the space it had to offer, particularly on the way back. Our cousins Lois and Eileen (my dad's sister's daughters) and Joan and Rosie (my dad's brother's daughters) joined Zita and I. And the real sister? That would be my dad's sister, our Aunt Norma Jean. She's a sister of the Franciscan variety.
Leaving northeast Iowa and heading to Chicago, this particular group had never traveled together before. I really appreciated the time to reconnect with my cousins and to get updates on their lives and the lives of their family members. I appreciated more family history and stories provided by Norma Jean. (This crew was only a small portion of the entire family that started with my dad's parents.) We laughed. We talked about lots of different topics. We appreciated the great driving weather and those who did the driving.
We took care of one another too-from driving, to packing and unpacking, to taking leg-stretch breaks. It seems we share a practical efficiency that our parents passed on to us as well. That would come in handy as the weekend progressed. It was a smooth and enjoyable trip to Chicago.
There was more family waiting for us. Our cousins Leo, Jean, and Kathy had also traveled there. We had been invited there by our cousin Larry and his wife Mary. (Thank you so much for the invitation, the hospitality, and your generosity.) The goal was to go through some of Larry's mom's things. She was our Aunt Esther, the eldest of the family our parents came from. She died in March of 2011 at age 91 after a long and full life. As is the case in a large family, Esther was one I didn't see that often, but I always enjoyed her company and her questions. You could tell she took a sincere interest in your life and enjoyed hearing about it.
More tomorrow about meeting Esther's Chicago family, unearthing treasures, and learning more family history.
I hope the election is a smooth one and that those impacted by Sandy out east are able to cast their votes.
Now there's more to tell about my weekend. After my visit with Sheila, the second part of my weekend was all about family. But let me back up a little. I made the trip to Chicago with six other travelers. Three sets of sisters and a real sister. We took my sister Zita's Suburban and we needed all the space it had to offer, particularly on the way back. Our cousins Lois and Eileen (my dad's sister's daughters) and Joan and Rosie (my dad's brother's daughters) joined Zita and I. And the real sister? That would be my dad's sister, our Aunt Norma Jean. She's a sister of the Franciscan variety.
Leaving northeast Iowa and heading to Chicago, this particular group had never traveled together before. I really appreciated the time to reconnect with my cousins and to get updates on their lives and the lives of their family members. I appreciated more family history and stories provided by Norma Jean. (This crew was only a small portion of the entire family that started with my dad's parents.) We laughed. We talked about lots of different topics. We appreciated the great driving weather and those who did the driving.
We took care of one another too-from driving, to packing and unpacking, to taking leg-stretch breaks. It seems we share a practical efficiency that our parents passed on to us as well. That would come in handy as the weekend progressed. It was a smooth and enjoyable trip to Chicago.
There was more family waiting for us. Our cousins Leo, Jean, and Kathy had also traveled there. We had been invited there by our cousin Larry and his wife Mary. (Thank you so much for the invitation, the hospitality, and your generosity.) The goal was to go through some of Larry's mom's things. She was our Aunt Esther, the eldest of the family our parents came from. She died in March of 2011 at age 91 after a long and full life. As is the case in a large family, Esther was one I didn't see that often, but I always enjoyed her company and her questions. You could tell she took a sincere interest in your life and enjoyed hearing about it.
More tomorrow about meeting Esther's Chicago family, unearthing treasures, and learning more family history.
Comments
Post a Comment