I remember them.

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 Living in NJ as a child we grew up waiting for our trips to PA.  That was who we were, on the inside.  I often had a challenge trying to explain that my family lived in Pennsylvania.

What family?  Your Mom Dad and brothers are here, do you mean your grandparents?  

Well, yes, them and my Aunts Uncles, great Aunts Uncle, and cousins... endless amounts of cousins.

The cousins, were not just people you know of.. my cousins are my people.  Generations of our family I can see in my mind.  I have loved generations of these families and we are all bound by history that tells us... Don't let it go.

It surely isn't perfect, there are small pods of people that may have some issues, yes that's true.

I can say, I'm sorry about that.  But in reality, we always come back.

So my memories of Christmas eves driving with my siblings and parents to get to Wilkes Barre and the unbridled excitement.  Mom told me a story the other day, I'd like to share.  

We children were pretty small.  She believes I was about 2, so that leaves Dan at 5, Rick at 7 and Dave at around 9.  Mom and Dad had told PA that we would not be in for Christmas day since Dad had a shift that day.  That we would be in on the 26th first thing in the morning.  Somehow she doesnt recall, a friend covered Dads half shift.  He scooted home, they packed the car and left.  The three hour trip to the WB and the family of six showed up after 5 or 6.  Mom remembers coming through the front door of my grandparents house with presents, screaming crazy kids, and my grandparents were settled in after a long holiday.   They jumped up and made phone calls pulled out all of Christmas dinner and the party restarted with the whole gang COMING BACK to greet them.  My Mom recalled it as the greatest Christmas ever, she felt at the time that showing up unexpectedly brought her parents incredible joy.  

I agreed with her.  It was an incredible joy to her parents to have them all show up like that.  I knew that, I always felt welcomed and loved and cherished.  Isn't that what we want for our children and grandchildren?  That they always feel wanted?  Wouldn't we all want to feel as if our presence is actually THE JOY?

My Aunt Ruth (My Godmother) always had mint leaves and orange slice candies.  I put them on the table last night.  I heard someone say... "aw those were Aunt Ruth's candies!"

My mission completed, they were remembered, and we felt it.



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