Family weekend

Well, it is Saturday evening and the families are off doing their things with others, and I was just so dang hot I decided to check out Jake's first blog posting and try to cool off before I mop the floor. It is awesome to see what is able to be done on a blog site and Amanda and Jake are awesome computer nuts and do a great job.
This spring I asked the kids to set aside this weekend that we could do family activities and be together. I have looked at life from various points and have come to realize that the only real thing we have in this life that is earthly material is our families. Oh friends are awesome and I believe that we will be friends for all eternity, but when life gets hard, and means/money/things are hard to come by, family will always come first. However, we need to know our family. Who are our brothers and sisters, how have they changed, how have their lives and the situations that life has blessed them with changed them and made a difference. The only way we learn about what is happening in the lives of others is by spending time and talking.
Having Jacob and Kennedy with me for the last couple of months and spending time with Marci and Ken, has opened my eyes to the need of others and of knowings each other better. I want my grandchildren to know their cousins, to have memories that they talk about when they are 62 and 60. Dick and I met with three of my cousins from the Folkman side a couple of weeks ago and although we had spend limited time together, we still recalled the events with laughter, and joy. We shared good times, memories of each others parents and their accomplishments and memories of my mom and dad that Dick and I had no idea about.
Marci received some pictures from Uncle Steven and downloaded them for me to see. There were memories that brought tears, the sight of my mom and dad in an embrace had never been viewed by me before, dad in his uniform, mom in hers, pics of the old barn that in memory was a stately barn showed that is was old and tattered and many more to numerous to name. However, it caused me to realize even more that my mission in life is to make sure that my family knows each other, children and adults as well, and that memories are built that will sustain us in good and bad times. I believe that bad times are coming, and that knowing we are loved but someone my be the only thing we will have to cling to.
Well, I better scrub the floor today. But if Jake and Amanda will teach me, I am going to figure out this blogging thing and use it to talk to myself as well as to you all and to get to know you and yours. Signing off for today with a hope for a great tomorrow!