On the Road and End of the Road for 2008

Christmas cousins

Christmas couch squeezes:

Here it is 48 hours before the end of 2008 and the New Year. Looking back gives us some perspective on how much can happen in a year and wonder what lies ahead for the new one.

A week ago Peter and I had lunch on a frigid, sno covered but sunny day with our golfing league buddies Jerry and Rene. A civil lunch down at the Union with a lot of our usual ribbing of one another. Lo and Behold Jerry is on the front page of the Gazette on Christmas Day with his family. Jerry is dealing with ALS and showing the courage I would expect of him. The outpuoring of support for him and his family from his family, friends and now the community has been wonderful. My prayers will be with him in the coming year.

Our Christmas celebrations from the 24th to the 26th involved 60+ people mostly family and a few friends. It began at our house in Richland with Mary's family; Karen and Charlie from the UP being present, Aunt Frannie being the oldest at an almost 88 and Ashley being home having traveled the farthest from Boston. Most of Mary's family were there cept the Marshall's from St. Ignace. Christmas day after our SMAC family Christmas we headed out to Sterling Heights and my Dad and Bev's house, where 20 or so packed the house for some great food, that mostly Bev had prepared. Sister Sheryl and Uncle Jim had traveled from near Kalkaska but cousin Erin had traveled the farthest, coming froom San Francisco to be there. The day after Christmas we had a smaller gathering at my Mom and Linc's place in Fraser. The passing down of the baloney spread grinder was discussed on this day as Grandma was in the mood for making tradition count. More food was munched on of course at this early celebration. The big surprise was that Cousin Erin had rescheduled her flight back so that she could share more time with family members. We were all disappointed that sister Suzanne and Lilly did not make it from the great white north this year but being the understanding bunch we are.......

I should mention that the weather was sunny on Christmas Day and allowed for good traveling, althought it got cold again after a melting and that made it very icy all around. Our final yuletide gathering was at brother Den and Jo's place that evening in Mt. Clemens where a crowd of around 20 again consumed more food and drink. A lot of good conversations were had as the Symons showed their true colors with our extended blended families all enjoying the "festivus" time together. Friend Corby and his daughter Tyler even made it over after a shopping spree earlier in the afternoon at metro Detroit Malls, where even Mary had ventured out with the girls on Friday after Christmas facing the motown mall crowds. I had stayed back and played Ruckus, the card game, with fellow seniors Dorothy and my mom. They both beat my butt.

So after all this celebrating Saturday morning came and it was time for daughter Ashley and cousin Erin to headback to their respective East and West Coast abodes and the SMAC FAM to head back to the Kazoo area. We said our goodbyes to Ashley at Detroit Metro after a too short, whirlwind visit where she got to see many friends and family in the few days she was in Michigan. Check her blog out for her report on her trip at http://www.akays.blogspot.com/ I hope your're reading cousin Erin!

After I got a wee bit emotional at the Airport saying goodbye to Ashley she was off for another day of flight catching. As Mary, Ashley and Callie and I were headed through the parking at Metro who would we run into to say one last goodbye to, yes Cousin Erin and Brother Den.

Her flight was scheduled to leave near same time as Ashley's. I believe everyone made it home safe and sound and in decent time and surely exhausted, I know I was from the Christmas trip that we have made so many times over the years.

>WHY do we do it? The quick connections of love, as I tried to keep saying, keeping the Christian mantra of Hokey brother Bill and Capt. Robin in mind, Keep on Loving One Another, as long as we can, while we can. 2008 has been tough on many, especially in Michigan and the Detroit area. I heard it in just about every other conversation that I had back here and there. These connections need to feed our desire to make better of what we have. Let us Make 2009 an improvement over this past year any way we can, what other choice do we have?

*traveling retraction from previous blog: It was Bishop Int. Airport in Flint, where we pickedup Ashley, not Bristol as I earlier reported, it was on Bristol Rd. Sorry for any confusion this may have cusaed.