Happy rainy day for those in the northeastern US – There is something peaceful about a steady rain. It’s cleansing, wiping away the tears of the week. The rain is appreciated although we are expecting several days of it. At the end of the week, I will be begging for sunshine and complaining of mushrooms growing in my wrinkles. That’s how it goes but for now, I’ll enjoy the solace.

Family reunions – We had our family reunion yesterday. The weather held out although we didn’t get the sunshiny day predicted. It was great to see everyone. There is always a surprise, sometimes a good one (engagements) and sometimes not (unwanted medical diagnosis). This year the sick bug visited. We had two families that couldn’t make it because of illness. We missed them. One family had the youngest members of the clan (who provide a youthful energy and encourage us to play games), and the other one had elders. We carried on in their name.

My sister-in-law at her 90th birthday party six years ago

Speaking of family – Every family has those people that light up a group. We have my 96-year-old sister-in-law who will entertain until the day she dies and my grandniece who is all about glitter, sequins (in a good way) and a laugh that makes you laugh. They didn’t disappoint. I expect my SIL will be taking a nice nap today to restock her energy.

Then there are the helper bees – The hostess and her husband both had medical issues. She had surgery on her hand and was splinted up. Her husband had something going on with his knees. They did a great job (with help from others in the tribe). There was enough seating, places to eat comfortably and we were able to talk (which is the most important part). There was a lot of food (that’s a requirement of our reunions).

The thing about families – We share the same gene pool so it’s not unusual to compare traits and medical issues – the good, the bad and the ugly. One grand niece was complaining that she inherited high cholesterol from her grandfather but not his dimples (which her mom has in spades). My nieces and I share some of the same medical conditions but are lucky that none of the BIG ONES run in our family. Genetics are a crap shoot and we are blessed. It was another one in the books and a good one too.

So how was your week?