Doy "blips" music.
I have my last 15 blips in this little player...let me know if any of the links are broken.
The passage of time occasionally freaks me out.
So I went to a family gathering today. Lots of family from my mother’s side, most of whom I haven’t seen in excess of 15 or 20 years.
There were lots of “Man, the last time I saw you was…” and “I was probably a teenager the last time we talked…” and “So, tell me what you’ve been doing for the last 20 years!”
It was really good to reconnect with so many of them. Time had really aged some of them. There were uncles and aunts that looked so frail compared to my memories of them. It was a stark reminder of how time passes silently…always passing while we read or while we take a shower…while we work, and while we sleep.
The day ended as many of those types of get-togethers do, with promises of visits, invitations and “let’s make plans.”
Sometimes you get the chance to follow through, but most times life seems to get in the way.
The generation shift has been profound, too. When I was younger, we often visited my grandmother and grandfather, and my uncles and aunts were there with my cousins. We got together a lot.
When we returned to the Savannah area a little over a year ago, I lamented how we didn’t do that anymore, but after thinking about it, I realized that now my mother is the grandmother. My sisters the aunts. Their children the cousins.
It’s as if the extended family has a way of tightening as that family multiplies, and the extended family of the past becomes further extended.
I keep fighting the trend, and I think my extended family is closer than most, but it’s never the same.
Maybe that’s what’s so unsettling about it. It’s just not the same…and never will be again.
WOW. That was totally morbid.
SHAKE IT OFF, PEOPLE…SHAKE IT OFF…