The wedding is less than four weeks away.
The days grow short, my lists grow long.
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I love the picture.
But I love the young adults
even more!
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Aunt Ruth’s Family
Uncle David’s Family
Uncle Amos’s Family
Aunt Naomi’s Family
Uncle Johnny’s Family
Uncle Dan’s Family
Uncle Paul’s Family
Our Family, with Uncle Luke’s
Uncle Jesse’s Family
Aunt Miriam’s Family
The families are in birth order.
Each family was represented at the reunion.
What a family!
I suppose we know our weaknesses better than those who look on.
(And those who look on know them pretty well!!!)
I’m just glad that for a golden weekend,
We could put it all aside
And just be
“Family”
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Yesterday, Certain Man and I celebrated 35 years of being married to each
other. (Please cheer!) We took a leisurely day — did some shopping for
shoes for him, had early supper out, went to the boardwalk, sat and watched the
waves, got some incredible custard cones from a rinky-dink old shop, did some
exploring on old abandoned state roads, checked out a campground for the
feasibility of renting cabins for a church retreat or family get together,
peered from afar (or should I say “acar”) at a deliciously variegated ornamental
plant nursery, stopped and visited my aunt who was in the hospital, and then were (for me, FINALLY!!!) on our way home around 9:00 pm.
I talked to Middle
Daughter, still not home from work, and was surprised when she asked to talk to
Certain Man. But I was even more surprised when he suddenly pulled off the road
and said, “We are going back for the Brats you wanted for tomorrow night’s
cookout.”
“Why???”
“Because. I can’t tell you why. It’s like
Christmas. You shouldn’t ask questions.”
I looked at the clock on the
dash and I said, “It’s too late for a party tonight, Daniel. It’s just too
late!”
“Well,” he said evasively. “I don’t really know what the kids are
planning for when we get home.”
Forty-five minutes later we came breezing
into the kitchen to find all of the kids there. The married ones as well as the
ones still at home. Their precious faces were shining, and they obviously had a secret,
but there were no noises of “Surprise!” No party evidence. Nothing.
As
I started across the kitchen into the family room, Eldest Son came up behind me
and put both hands over my eyes. Certain Man came in front of me and took both
of my hands and said, “Shut your eyes, Hon!” And the children chorused, “Yeah,
mom. Shut your eyes and don’t peek!”
So I obediently shut both my eyes
and allowed Certain Man to guide me around the end of the table and he stopped
right in what felt like the middle of the family. “Okay, NOW!” said the Powers
That Be. “Now look!”
I
could not believe my eyes! Certain Man has been talking that he would like to
get a hickory china cabinet for a long time, but with the current economic
status, I never dreamed that he was planning something like this. I didn’t know
whether to laugh or to cry. It is just so pretty! And big! And has such
economical storage space! Of course, everyone had to say how they couldn’t
believe that I hadn’t seen it right away, but if they had seen the seven smiley
faces that I saw when walked in, pretty much everything else would have dimmed
in comparison.
I’ve been so blessed, in so many ways.
Lord Jesus, once again, I
offer grateful praise.
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I neglected to take any pictures of the potato salad affair. Donna and her two girlies, Laura and Amy, joined me and my Sweet Mama, my two beloved sisters, and my Oldest and Middle Daughter and we made five gallons of potato salad in about an hour and a half.
A little before five, they started to gather in.
Uncle David, Becky and Uncle Daniel
Lucy and Mama
Aunt Dottie and Aunt Gladys
Ralph, Karen and Steve
Melanie, Aunt Naomi and Judith
Becky, Uncle Jesse and Clint
Aunt Mimmie, Naomi and Rhoda
Laura, Donna, Jonathan, Annika and Danielle
Jonathan and Danielle have the newest Yoder of all:
(Though very temporarily — there are at least three babies due almost any time).
Meet Liv Joannamae Hoffstetter
Two weeks old
Linford and Liv
That Crabbing Picture was not just for fun. The crew got three bushel.
Rob steamed them for us and they got to the school around seven — after most of us had supper!
These things were very popular, as the following pictures will bear out.
Another shot of the table
Dee and Katrina
Carmen and Holly
Sarah and Mama
Jared and Amy
Paul, Ronda and Aunt Dottie
Polly Judith
And then there was some time for visiting and seeing the familiar faces.
My Certain Man and Aunt Naomi
Eldest Daughter caught me halfway throught the evening.
Judith (Uncle Paul’s youngest)
Uncle John’s Judi and Victoria
What I wouldn’t give tonight to see my Daddy’s smile.
Where ever you are tonight, Daddy dear, I love you. And though it probably doesn’t make a hill of Delaware Lima Beans bit of difference to you, the planning, the work and the joy I feel at being able to be a part of this happy time has its impetus in that love that will not let me go — that shines ahead and behind me and makes me want to be strong. I know you would love these days, and I see your face in the lined faces and smiley eyes of your brothers and sisters. But even with all this closeness, you seem very far away . . .
Can you know that in a very real way, this weekend is for you . . . from me?
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The boxes are back into their places, the floors have been swept, the kids are gone.
The five nights of Bible School are over, and there are some very tired people.
The words of the theme song keep ringing in my head,
“Read to go where you may lead,
I’m ready, ready to serve . . .”
But then there is incredible joy in my heart, too.
I look forward to time spent with my extended family.
My anticipation is tempered by the losses.
I feel keenly the faces that won’t be there —
Aunt Mary Lois, Aunt Clara, Aunt Gertrude, My Daddy, Uncle Monroe, Uncle John
(These are the ones in Heaven)
And there are those, who won’t be there, by reason of health:
Uncle Amos, Aunt Daisy, Uncle Luke, Aunt Cora, Uncle Eli, Aunt Ruth.
And there are those who won’t be there because they can’t.
(This makes me sorry)
And there are those who won’t be there because they won’t.
(This makes me sad)
But there will be many, many who will come gladly.
Because they can.
Because they want to.
Because when all is said and done,
warts and all,
WE ARE FAMILY.
Welcome, dear family.
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Some years ago, there was a sleep over for the female cousins on my Daddy’s side. We had a wonderful time. It was a sacred, heartwarming time, filled with laughter and tears. One of the things we did that weekend was to bring something to give away that would tell something about our lives. My cousin, Judith, had come to be with us that weekend, and it took a great deal of courage, because she really did not know us.
When the time came to share what we had brought, she brought out this greenhouse pot kind of thing with some “spear-ish” looking things in it with some stems topped with something that looked like dried blackberries. She proceeded to introduce us to a lily that made delicate flowers and then folded up over the center and formed a blackberry looking seed inside of a parchment-looking cover. She told the story of how her life paralleled this particular lily. There were few dry eyes.
I was the one who got to keep the sqiggly looking things in the pot. Some of the cousins took some seeds, and I don’t know what became of them, but I planted my little lily beside my back garage door, then transplanted it to a raised bed on the other side of the back door, and kept wondering when it would bloom. This is my third summer with it, and very suddenly, just yesterday, I noticed that it had made a single flower (with the promise of many, many more) I was ecstatic!
This is larger than actual size.
In other news, Bible School has been moving right along.
The balcony houses the elementary class, and it is such a temptation to look over the edge:
This fellow is being quite contained.
We’ve had a couple of narrow squeaks!
The thing that always cheers me up is this little guy.
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It is time for Bible School
at the little white church at the corner of
Canterbury and Carpenter Bridge Roads in Kent County, DE.
How our church loves Bible School Children
and the week of Bible School. Our theme this year is
God’s Big Back Yard
And what a great job of decorating! It is really sweet!
The children are the best of all, though.
They love the snacks and games
(Don’t we all?)
Worth it???
Only eternity will tell the whole tale, of course.
But even without eternity, we would hate to miss this week and the opportunities it brings to us.
“Come to Bible School, Come to Bible School . . . “
“Lord Jesus, if the invitation to Bible School can translate into an invitation to make sure of Heaven,
And even one person would accept,
The Family in your Big Back Yard
Could know no greater joy!
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His pretty girl was not impressed.
Frankly, neither were any of us.
Except, maybe, HIM, because of the reaction it got.
Ah, Son. You still light up my life!
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Faces in the crowd:
Saloma Quentin
Bethany Betsy
Johnni with her baby, Jason, Jr. Victoria
Hannah, hanging upside down Josh
The day was filled with so many things:
Soccer games:
Sack races:
And if you should fall down: . . . Mommi and a friend can carry you through!
There were Horseshoes:
Water Balloons and Relays with spectators: 
There were train rides on The Jones Express with Certain Man and Mr. Jones himself::
There were times for visiting:
For Playing Table Games:
For cooking hamburgers and digging in the candy basket and getting prizes:
For being on the hammock:
Being with Grandma (or talking to Grandpa)
For Holding Babies:
Signing autographs
Churning Ice Cream:
And then, at the end of the evening, when little legs were almost too tired to go any more,
it was great fun to get pulled in the wagon by Mommy or Poppi
On another note, some people have wondered about our pavilion — why we built it, and if there is a story behind it.
. . . Well, actually, there is. You see, on July the 14th, Certain Man and I will be married 35 years. We had discussed a big trip — like a train trip across Canada to see the Canadian Rockies and to just have some time away. But then we decided to build the pavilion instead. The wonderful thing was, we were in 100% agreement about it. It seemed like something that would benefit us, our family, and our church in the years ahead, and it just felt “right” somehow. So when I look at the pavilion, it is a symbol (in a strange sort of way) of what is important to us, and of our lives together. Both of us feel like the pavilion and the memories made there are wonderful gifts to us in recognition of the 35 years we’ve spend together. And we’ve been blessed so much already by the people who have enjoyed good times there, and we look forward to a whole lot more.
And if you or someone you know would like to use it for an occasion, feel free to call. The more it is used, the better we like it!
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Delaware Grammy 