Saturday, May 9, 2009

A Most Welcome Full House, Once Again


The family. We were a strange little band of characters trudging through life sharing diseases and toothpaste, coveting one another's desserts, hiding shampoo, borrowing money, locking each other out of our rooms, inflicting pain and kissing to heal it in the same instant, loving, laughing, defending, and trying to figure out the common thread that bound us all together.
Erma Bombeck



The dining room table has long been the standard for gathering in my family. Here, we reconnect, often plopping into our seats without a plan for conversation or a desire to all be together. But by the end of the meal, everyone lingers, laughs, and leaves the table with a new sense of belonging.

Tonight, I'll have my full house at the table. Middle son, our soon-to-be-a- senior Fisheries and Wildlife major, is arriving from Arizona today. Just came through finals and is driving home for summer employment and most likely a home-cooked meal or two. (Which means I'll have to remember how to do that.)

Along with my husband, youngest son the baseball player, and oldest son--the moving out-on-his-own-next-week college graduate, his girlfriend, AND my mom flying in today from Green Bay, Wisconsin, we should have a fairly full table. One face missing will be my dad as he will remain in Green Bay, a nursing home resident now. We will include him via telephone calls. Never quite know who else might come by so we cook for more than we know for sure. Often some arrive by boat, car, or over the fence, or from down the road. They become family once seated. (Which means they also are obligated to do dishes which provides another opportunity for community conversation.)

Due to the current economic climate both in the world and our own home, we haven't had a large crowd at the lake in quite some time. Things are looking up and it will be a welcome treat to gather once again.

Happy weekend to everyone!

19 comments:

  1. Sounds like a wonderful Mother's Day weekend for you. And you have a very good looking family!

    Loved the Erma Bombeck quote.

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  2. This is lovely.

    They should all gather around and heap adoration on you.

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  3. Have a wonderful time! Life is good again.

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  4. Enjoy these times, savor them. What a great looking family.

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  5. It's going to be a lovely day. Happy Mother's Day!!!

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  6. How nice that you will have a full house once again. My girls (ages 16 and 14) are both still at home, but they are definitely out a lot with their friends on weekends. My husband and I are getting a taste of the "empty nest" and it's not always a pleasant feeling. Enjoy having your family surrounding you this Mother's Day!

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  7. That's what it's all about! Happy Mother's Day...but I don't need to say it, judging by your planned gathering. :)

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  8. What a gorgeous family! May your weekend be full of love and laughter.

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  9. Hugs to you and your family. Great seeing you the other evening at Jennifer's book signing. I'm thrilled for you that your family is all together. It promises to be a great summer, huh? That's a great picture of you and your boys.

    Love you.
    K

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  10. Thanks for stopping by my blog and sharing! It looks like you've had great practice trying to juggle the job of motherng and writing.

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  11. Lovely quote and pic!
    Happy Mother's Day!

    xoxox,
    CC

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  12. A wonderful Mothers Day! You are truly blessed :-)

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  13. What a lovely pic, Julie! Hope you had a great time. And belated Happy Mother's Day to you!

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  14. Sounds like wonderful fun. How nice to have everyone together. As my kids get older it's so hard to have everyone at home at the same time!

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  15. It's nice to have a full table. A few weeks ago, my family was together for the first tiem since my wedding and it was a lot of fun.

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  16. All:

    Hope everyone had a Mother's Day to remember. Thanks for all the lovely comments. Onto the next week.

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  17. It sounds so warm and inviting. You've created a sanctuary for your family and friends. Enjoy your summer.

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  18. That many boys in one room blows my mind.
    Hope it was all well and good. From the later pictures looks like it was a good time. (sorry, I'm late catching up.)

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