Sitting here staring at the blank screen on my laptop….pulling together thoughts about what to write about this week, my head is swirling with many memories from childhood…especially those from my large Jewell family…our weekly Sunday visits to my grandparents home…dinner invitations to an aunt’s….family reunions….weddings, high school graduation parties…and as years ticked along…funerals…some expected, others as a result of deep sorrow. The common thread for most of my first 20 years was knowing that on any given occasion I mentioned, there would always be several uncles and aunts present…the very relatives I could not wait to see as I got myself ready for an afternoon drive to one of their homes…most of them resided in the Flint area which was about a 45 minutes to an hour trip from our home in Saginaw.

My dad–including his brothers–were champion storytellers. My dad’s sisters held their ground, too, sharing funny memories from their own childhoods growing up in northern Michigan on the family farm where grandpa eked out a living during the depression years. As I listened to their stories, a common theme seemed to be “who was the main culprit in a harmless prank”….there were a few choices that could be made from six rambunctious boys and four girls. As I sat near any one of them, I soaked up all the good natured teasing and laughter that came from their shared antics and numerous tales!

This past Memorial Day weekend my husband and I drove to Flint on our own to attend a party for one of my cousins who is relocating to Nebraska. She and her husband hosted an ice cream social for family and friends to come enjoy one another’s company and say our goodbyes as they launch themselves into a new adventure. Riding along in our car, I was very excited, anticipating being with some of my family. As enjoyable as it was, a thread of sadness was woven into the afternoon.

Gone are my parents. Gone are my five uncles, their wives…one aunt –the baby of the Jewell siblings–is our last loved one to enjoy at family gatherings…

Filling the chairs now are us cousins–we are now the “elders” in our Jewell family. Missing are numerous younger children…it seems that life lived in the 50s and 60s is very different from the 2000s…it’s not that I doubt my extended family does not value getting together…it’s very fair to say that priorities have changed…our methods of staying connected with one another have gone from phone calls and family functions to social media, FaceTime calls, texting….and lazy Sunday afternoons are now consumed with work, sports…a variety of distractions that take us from our homes that don’t necessarily include spending time with loved ones we only see once or twice a year.

Yes, I miss my Uncle Rusty, the impish twinkle in his eyes as he lit up his pipe while getting ready to tell a story….my Uncle Lou who could spin a yarn that was slightly truthful but kept me on the edge of my seat waiting for the story’s outcome…my Aunt Helen gladly sharing memories growing up with brothers who constantly teased her, yet the deep love and affection they all held for each other was always part of her storyline.

miss running around with numerous cousins, all vying for attention from these loveable relatives who filled our hearts with love and affection…encouraged us…offered hugs and kisses galore….kept us entertained for hours on end.

I miss the beauty of yesteryear’s family gatherings where their memories were caught on an old Polaroid camera … .the time it took to get everyone lined up for the picture … .Now we are able to pull out a smartphone, snap a shot and share it immediately with everyone who wants a “copy”. 

This past Sunday, the lineup of loved ones looked very different but the laughter, the love we all felt around the tables that day, well, that didn’t change…..for those of us who attended the party, I hope we represented our respective parents well…laughing, sharing our own memories, loving on one another and enjoying the “younger” ones who made the afternoon drive themselves on a Sunday afternoon in May.