Relief of Family

I didn’t realize that a genuine, snorting laugh was overdue.

My cousin Ben came home from the Marines for the first time in 2 years and so some of the cousins and aunts decided to have a little reunion at Grandma's house to celebrate. It's always been an Open-Door and All-You-Can-Eat policy at Grandma's house. They didn’t even know they were hosting and were surprised as we all trickled in one by one.

We all gathered around the kitchen counter and came alive with stories, laughter, and games. In this family, there are always 3 conversations going on at once, you can’t hear yourself think, and you have to interrupt someone to speak. It’s honestly great. When people tell stories, you use your whole body, which brings in so much comedy. So you can imagine, I was so full of life.

By hearing and telling stories, I have realized that I would rather live a life experiencing the extremes -- joy and sadness -- rather than live life in the middle. With the extremes, you have more memories and real emotions to relate to experiences. We all told stories that were either epic, embarrassing, or tragic. The mediocre experiences never were worth telling.

Relating it back to me, the previous weeks have been mediocre weeks. I have been idle. Simply starting the day with coffee, watching movies, painting, praying, phone calls, repeat. It has been enjoyable, but nothing spectacular. Whereas this weekend was full of so much excitement.

At Grandma's, the cousins were out doing the random shenanigans that keeps us entertained. This included climbing trees, stealing fallen chestnuts from front yards and somehow the cattails kept us busy for an hour. Although we are all adults, we are not excused from childlike joy. The videos show our simple amusement. Excuse profanity!

We also really enjoyed making fun of the movie 'Signs' starring Mel Gibson. How could Mel Gibson be in a movie so bad?! Anyways, that is just an opinion, if you think it is a great movie, I would love to have a respectable debate about it, just let me know.

But I believe that it is through the extremes that character is built. I thank God for spicing up my time of idleness with the craziness of family. Although the time with family was short, there were so many memories built and it encouraged me to find new ways to find childlike joy in the simple things in life. I am beyond grateful.

Side Story:

Grandpa Bill is a funny man. He is a Marine and very patriotic. After seeing his flag half massed, I asked, “Grandpa, why is your flag half massed?” His response was so genuine. So sincere. “I’m mourning the state of our country.”