My siblings and I—along with the families—got together this afternoon for lunch. This year we’ve been trying to make it a monthly thing. Like many families, we seemed to fall into the habit of getting together for holidays and birthdays and other special occasions, but not too often just to sit around and visit and catch up with each other. So, we’ve set a date for the first Saturday of the month for lunch. Sometimes circumstances have forced us to choose a different time—like today’s Sunday gathering—but we’ve been pretty good about keeping the monthly date.
Image courtesy of piyato at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Unfortunately, “for the most part” doesn’t mean always. We missed last month. And for myself, it’s a regret I will carry forever, since the first Saturday of September was the last Saturday my grandma was alive. She always liked to get together with us all, even though it wasn’t really easy for her to get out anymore, and she couldn’t read the menu, or hear a lot of the conversations that were going on. She still enjoyed being with us. I will never be able to forget that if I hadn’t been too busy that day, we could’ve had one last family meal. It’s the kind of regret I wouldn’t wish on anyone.
So, I’m glad we found time today, even if we didn’t talk about anything more important than what actually constitutes science fiction, the surviving cast members of Gilligan’s Island, and the ever popular Mac-PC debate. I think those are the sorts of conversations that real life is made of. And since none of us ever really know just how much of that life we have left, it’s important we find the time for those who matter most.
