This past weekend, my son and his wife visited from Brooklyn, New York. They are very good about making the trip to see us, but their schedules only permit a couple of visits each year. I understand the challenge. When I lived in Kansas City and my parents lived in the Pacific Northwest, I couldn’t see them as often as we all would have liked. Even after I retired, it was hard to leave my home life behind for frequent trips.
My husband and I had a wonderful time with our son and his wife. Their arrival became an excuse for a large family gathering. The New York visitors stayed with our daughter and her family. One evening, our daughter hosted all my relatives living in the Seattle area this summer—my husband and me, my sister and brother and their spouses (and a niece). With our daughter’s family, we were a group of thirteen. My granddaughters (ages one and three) provided most of the entertainment. The house was full of conversation, laughter, and the happy chaos that comes when people who enjoy one another’s company meet after a long time apart.
One of the pleasures of having my son and daughter-in-law visit is that they like to cook, and my daughter turned over her kitchen to them. (Well, her husband did the brats.) I, for one, was perfectly content to stay out of the cooks’ way and enjoy the results. The food was excellent.
All thirteen of us sat around one crowded table, and the three-year-old chose me to sit next to her. (Way to insure her inheritance.) And the one-year-old came running to me several times during the evening with a grin on her face. (She’s up for an inheritance, too.)
My husband and I also enjoyed some quieter moments with just our son and daughter-in-law. One evening, they ate dinner with us in our retirement community’s dining room and stayed for a long chat in our apartment. The conversation wandered from family news to old friends, from their work to travel plans. I’ve written many times about the pleasures of having adult children. My husband and I now need far more care than our children—my son drove me to one of my follow-up appointments after cataract surgery, and he helped when his dad’s Parkinson’s symptoms flared up.
I was especially grateful for a few hours alone with my son and daughter-in-law. We walked along Golden Gardens Park, where the water sparkled in the sunshine and the Olympic Mountains framed the far horizon. We followed our walk with lunch at Ray’s Boathouse, a long-time Seattle restaurant with great seafood and a wonderful view of Puget Sound.
After our lunch at Ray’s Boathouse, we drove to a bridge with a sweeping view of Mount Rainier to the southeast. The mountain rose above the landscape in all its snow-covered glory. Even as a native Washingtonian, I still find myself staring when Mount Rainier is “out”, as we say. It dominates the horizon and reminds me of the spectacular beauty of this part of the world.
On Monday, our visitors returned home. Our time together passed too quickly, but it will be treasured until the next time. We may live thousands of miles apart, but the effort to get together is worthwhile. The visits are too short, but the memories last until the next one.
Have you recently enjoyed time with family members who live far away?
Discover more from Theresa Hupp Author
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
