A Special Blend..

The weekend is over, and my grandson has gone home. I am tired, but happy. I had the opportunity to spend time with people I love and people I

like to be around. Some are related to me and some are not.

What makes it interesting is the blend. If you attend one of our get-togethers, you will need a program. There are blood relatives, relatives by marriage, friends who were formerly related by marriage and former marriage partners who are just friends now.

It’s a special blend. It wouldn’t work for everybody, but it works for us. And it didn’t happen overnight. Some of the relationships went bad long ago, and then found a new definition when the time was right.

And the time became right because of the kids. The grandchildren, cousins, brothers and sisters….who joined our family and made us whole again.

All of the kids have grandparents, and some of them are even related to their grandparents, somehow.

None of it matters, though. It might have had a tentative start. A civility borne of the birth of grandchildren. But over the years, it has become a family. Unique and fluid, and steadfast at the same time. Partners change, but parents don’t.

And so, the parade of folks who came in and out of my house this weekend would take some explaining. Probably more than once.

It started with my grandson’s visit. His mom, my former daughter-in-law, visited with me both when she brought him over and again when she picked him up.

And there were two more grandsons, his cousins, who came over to visit. And they brought their father, my son, who is the brother of my other grandson’s father. Are you lost yet?

Other visitors at my house this weekend included former in-laws, their new spouses, former spouses, half-sisters, cousins and just plain old friends.

All of it is kind of like our dinner last night, at a Japanese restaurant: lots of natural ingredients, commonly used, brought together in a magical way, seasoned well, and cooked to perfection.

But without the onion volcano…