All Because Two People Fell in Love

Since we had not had an extended family gathering on my H's side for seven years,

there was a decision made by some that it was time -

and it's always good to have those in the family who make things happen.

Honestly, it can be daunting to plan for over 100 people.

It was up to the old guard to reserve a venue,  

and then some nieces and nephews got involved, 

by planning the meal and decorations, sending out the invitation, planning games

and a program with an MC. 

Kristal and Natalie came over the day before and we had fun

making garden flower arrangements.

I decided that this was a good time to update our family tree 

and found out that we are now186 people in the family,

not counting those who have gone home. 

This would be nine Friesen siblings and their families

who extend out from the tree in clusters. 

This tree became a grounding point for many who studied it.

 

We were four generations together ranging in age from 87 down to 6 months.

The farthest away came from Prince Edward Island,

others from Calgary, Kelowna, Vernon and Bellingham. 

Pretty special to see them make this effort. 

Need I say ... there was a lot of food! 

I won't have everyone on my pictures, but these nieces

grew up with our girls, they were like sister/cousins. 

We sat with our oldest nephews and some of their family,

some of their grandchildren now in school with our grandchildren. 

How does one explain that relationship? 

After some singing and sharing of memories, the kids were happy to head out to be entertained with games while the adults brought out lawn chairs and caught up with each other. 

And if the only thing the littlest ones remember is chasing the candy man,

it will still be worth the memory of being part of this. 

We ended our time with a true Mennonite Faspa of lunch leftovers, 

Zwieback and lots of desserts. 

What a blessing it is to be part of an extended family,

not perfect, but working things out,

praying for each other, 

caring and reaching out where we can. 

Some have lost a dear family member in the last few years,

making us so much more aware of seizing the time we have. 

Until we meet again, 

happy times like this are the best way to meet.