Family Time
My mother, in the middle, on her wedding day. Her mother on the left, her sister on the right.
I’m finally sitting down after a remarkable day. Today is my mother’s birthday and she turned 97. She remembers the story her mother (my grandmother) used to tell about the Memorial Day when the family from a small corner in Ohio set out on a holiday picnic to the park in Canton and how they had to stop shortly after they set off. My grandmother knew it was time to give birth to my mom. So they turned around and headed back to the farmhouse where later, Dr. Kent from Akron arrived and helped my grandmother deliver my mother in my grandparents’ bedroom.
This year, as she starts her 98th year, the family gathered for a celebration appropriate to her age. Jim and I hosted the get together at our place. We were hoping for weather nice enough to use the newly power washed and sealed deck and up until the last minute, we weren’t positive it would work. But we were given a most beautiful day with cloudless blue sky and warm sunshine. The logistics of squeezing ten people around our large wooden table and making sure that everyone had a comfortable seat took a slight bit of maneuvering but in the end, a good time was had by all.
As I planned and prepared for the meal, I was often reminded of my mother’s organizational and cooking skills in the kitchen. First, I chose a menu with some recipes I had never tried. As a child, I remember my mother telling me that since guests were coming, she’d try a new recipe. Then, the group size changed from 6 to 10. Again, I thought back to times when my mother had to pivot because more people were coming than first expected. And I also used her role modeling as I made my lists, reviewed my ingredients, gauged amounts to make and set the table.
The menu was perfect for this ideal day. Jim grilled chicken that was marinated in a tequila, lime and chili concoction. I made roasted potatoes and corn pudding. My sister-in-law brought spring spinach from her garden and with some bacon and eggs and a sweet sour dressing that I had prepared, she put together the salad. And my sister, a baker in her own right, made two delicious apricot tarts for dessert that we served with ice cream. Add to that some meadow tea made with fresh spearmint and Riesling wine and yes, we enjoyed a fabulous meal.
The apricot tart made by my sister.
Since we are all now vaccinated, it was also the first gathering of its kind in over a year. Hugs abounded along with flowing conversation and good food. And as often has happened in my parents’ home, the gathering included a non family member as well who became family for the day.
As summer arrives, today’s event captured the feelings that I love about outdoor gatherings: congeniality, delicious fare, time to soak in the experience and the sun, laughter and the small accidents, like Stella, the dog, knocking over a glass a wine, that make me remember our humanity.
After these events, there’s something about the dropped, crumpled napkin and the half empty glass of tea and the tart crumbs on the table and the wine stain on the deck that make me smile and sigh a happy sigh. For those fleeting moments of celebrating 97 years of a life well-lived, we are a mish-mash of people pulled together by love. It’s a beautiful sight. As we part and I return to my various tasks, that memory is a buoyancy that carries me along until the next time we gather.
