Family Day?

The kids' Thursday I'd dub "family day".  They drove from the Jersey shore up to my son's dad's place in Ithaca, to share the videos of the shore trip with him.  You see, he is not "on line" in the classic Facebook, etc. sense.  But as I did, he loved the videos, and he's agreed that he'd love to see more "social" post type photos, especially, if our DIL to be would text them to him, instead.

Challenge accepted, sez she!

They got out in the fresh air before heading on to visit my brother's daughter up the road in Rochester.  I'm sneaking in one from their earlier stop, before the trip to the shore, to prove that Carl was there with his "grandpa".  

Not sure there was another one with both of them in the frame.  But son's fiance says that when Charles got in the car, Carl snuggled up, putting his head on his grandpa's shoulder.

Carl makes friends so quickly.  Once you're "in", you're in!

Then we have another son and father one from yesterday's stop.

I was pleased to see that my ex has some green space near his apartment.  This was the hill nearby.  Lacey (DIL to be) reports that they bonded over gardening. He always was an avid grower of things.  So is she.  He showed her the little shared garden space the apartment dwellers cultivate (don't have a photo of that, sorry).

If you dig back into the memories of our marriage, he was producing what I processed in the kitchen... from the cherry tree that sponsored one pie to the brussels sprouts and broccoli that I had never seen growing until I married him.  I made and canned tomatoes and sauce, making meatballs for the fresh... ah, yes, one really healing thing about this vicarious trip was a chance to highlight the happy memories.  You don't stay married for nearly 22 years without building some, and you don't bear and raise a child together without that same kind of mix of tough times and good ones.

The young people moved along to have a cousin reunion down the road, at a dog-friendly patio bar/restaurant that cousin Heidi picked out.

No clue which shared childhood memory they were laughing over, but they had many of mischief they got into at various visits back and forth.  

Today they will be on the road again, heading home.  I fully expect that when they get home, they'll be exhausted but Carl will be ready to go zoomies!

Family:  what it's all about, eh?  There's good and bad "stuff" mixed in to every family's experience, and the amazing thing to me, is despite our failings as parents, our kids turn out OK!  The next generation is taking over.

Now if we can gracefully let them do so, we will have completed our job as a generation!

Classic pep talk:

For today, may we all remember to take good care of the one and only body we've each been issued in this life!

• Hydrate
• Nourish
• Move
• Breathe
• Appreciate
• Rest

And next day, we'll do it all again!  Life is good.  Keep on sparking!

🔥✨💖