Family Tree

As some of you know, The Hale Family Reunion happened this past weekend at The Breaks Interstate Park in Southwest Virginia.  I don’t know the official count, but I would guess 150 -200 people attended.  We get together every two years and it is always a pleasure to see family member that I have not seen in years.  One member of our family  came all the way from Australia.   It always amazes me to see how far our family tree branches out.  There are two family members that put the reunion  together (thanks Sue & Ilene) and do all the work to see that it comes off smoothly.  Come to think of it, isn’t that the way life works?  A few people do most of the hard work and everyone else sets back and enjoys the fruits of their labor.  I have got to do something about this attitude.

There were quite a few family member birthdays in June.  My son, my granddaughter, my great-granddaughter and my brother all celebrated birthdays.  Unfortunately, they all live a good distance from me, so I was unable to be with them.  It is always sad when someone close to you celebrates something special in their lives and you are not present.   Sometimes, a gift and a card seem so inadequate.  Next year I vow to do better.

I had an opportunity to visit with a friend from high school this past weekend.  We communicate often via e-mail, but seldom have the opportunity to converse face to face.  I had forgotten how easy it is to hold a conversation with her.  Some people have a nice and easy manner and an innate ability to guide a conversation so smoothly from one topic to another.  Elsie Dee is this person.  I think she should have been a talk show host.  I believe we all have friends like this.  I wish I were like that, but, the Lord did not pass that natural ability down to me.  Hmmm, I’m trying to think, what natural ability did he pass on to me?  If I think of it I will let you know.  Right now, I’m drawing blanks.

Last Friday, when Jerilyn and I left to go back home for the reunion on Saturday, we knew we needed to be there between 5 – 6pm.  You see, the evening before the reunion, my Aunt Helen has a big cookout and about 30 family members show up.  Aunt Helen assured me that she would delay supper until 6pm, but after that it would be kinda iffy as to what would be left for us to eat.  Because we needed to talk to the fellow putting a new roof on our home, we got a late start.  Our trip started at 9:30am.  It normally takes us 9-10 hours to get there, stopping to eat, hit the rest stops, etc.  This time we had to make it in 8 hours.  Needless to say, the Riviera was placed at the maximum safe speed above the speed limit.  If the limit is 55, I set the cruise control on 62.  I have been thru many police radars doing 7 mph over the speed limit and I have never been pulled.  This time I set it at 9mph.  We stopped at a Hardy’s and got a Thick Burger and I ate that messy thing while I was driving.  Thanks to Jerilyn, none of it dripped on me and thanks to the Lord I was able to keep the car on the road and in its proper place while I ate my food.  This act of stupidity is not recommended for anyone and I doubt that I will ever attempt it again.  We arrived at 5:30pm, participated in a wonderful dinner with great fellowship and went to sleep that night content in the knowledge that we had consumed more food on that day then in the previous 3 combined.  I hate that thing called gluttony.

Hope you’re enjoying your summer, or whatever season it is in your part of the world…. Tommy

“”There are two cardinal sins from which all others spring: Impatience and Laziness.” ….Franz Kafka