I’ve been chronicling my first meeting with my birth family in a series of posts. The first one is here and the second can be found here.
I first met my siblings on Friday night at a small gathering with the four of us and two spouses. It went exceedingly well and I spent Friday night at my sister’s place.
My Grandfather and Mother
That was a revelation. Lots of good conversation, sharing pictures and interests. She and her husband are thoughtful people that I have a lot in common with. They are gardeners and a big part of their gardening strategy is bird attraction. The sheer number of Goldfinches and Hummingbirds is amazing at their house in the country.
Saturday is a big day. After spending the morning with Julie and Hal it is off to Larry and Kristy’s place for a meeting with the (almost) whole clan. Rolling into Larry’s driveway the first thing you see is a John Deere 95H sitting proud. I have some serious hours on the seat of a 95, the first combine I drove and I drove it for years!
His place is on top of a hill with some great views of the surrounding countryside. If you hold your mouth just right you can see the house where they grew up (my nephew Josh and his family lives there now). Parked right out front was Mom’s ‘56 Dodge and the completely restored Federal Truck from the early days of their company.
Before the whole clan got there Larry took me down to his shop where he has a bunch of vintage trucks in various stages of restoration and a couple other projects. I didn’t take any pictures (and I’m sorry) but I was just so amazed at his collection that I left my phone in my pocket and my jaw on the floor. It’s just gearhead heaven.
Mom's Dodge
The meeting with the whole clan felt really good. My nephews and nieces and their children called me ‘Uncle Tom’ without difficulty. I think I got to spend at least a few minutes with everybody. My niece Miranda is the ‘discovered’ relative at 23 and Me and just couldn’t be more gracious. A happy and successful clan.
Larry and Kristy could not have been more gracious. Kristy is the daughter of a ‘cow guy’ so I had an instant in. They have two gardens (actually, 3. One for the squirrels and birdies) so that they can each do things their own way together. A pretty cool way to be from my perspective.
I had a ‘moment’ when Larry showed me my room and said “This is your room. Tonight and every time you want it.” I came very near to tears at that.
Breakfast, coffee and more conversation before we proceeded to my youngest sister Robin’s place.
How do I describe my day with Robin? We spent at least 12 hours in wide ranging conversation over the 30 hours I was there. I had to force myself to get up and go, probably way after it was time.
The Federal Truck with a Kenworth collector behind
It started with a terrific brunch for a big part of the clan. It was not only good but provided leftovers for the next 24 hours. She has a pool and it was great fun to watch the kids interact and play. The older kids look out for the younger and all engage together. A real family doing real family stuff. It was humbling to be included. I just can’t overstate my feeling of fitting in.
I got to meet my recently deceased brother’s daughter, Dawn. I heard more than a few Ronny stories and am very sad I never got to meet him. I’m sure I’d have liked him. If for no other reason than because I honestly liked the whole bunch.
I’m sitting here wishing I’d have taken more photos of family activities. I took one of Julie’s sunflower row. It was a time of meeting and feeling and finding out, not a photo time for me at all. I should have at least taken a picture of Robin’s dog Rooster. A mammoth tan Great Dane he reminded me of my dog Sam except bigger. If you can judge the quality of the people by the pets they own my family is something special. Very special.
All in all this was just a spectacular weekend for me. If not the best ever certainly the best for a very long time. I got to touch and meet family members that I didn’t know existed before the first of January. It’s been an amazing journey for me, and I couldn’t have imagined how great it could be.
I sometimes feel a little guilty because I know that most everybody is just having a stinker of a year in 2020 but in my world it’s one of the very best ever. So it goes.
All words in this post are mine. Photos are courtesy of my family
You want some really cool stuff? Check these authors, they will not disappoint.
