Luminous

I am reveling in the feeling you can only get at the end of a very long, but very good day. It's the best kind of tired--the kind where you curl your toes, crinkle your eyes shut and sink into a pile of pillows.

Today was a family reunion of sorts. My mother has four siblings. I have ten cousins. The entire family, with the exception of my sister and one cousin, gathered to surprise my grandfather for his 86th birthday.

There used to be a time, when I was a child, that most of the family lived nearby and we were able to get together regularly--for pizza nights, football games on TV, holidays and birthdays. As the years went by, our family grew more and more spread out. (We certainly did our part by moving to Romania.) The last time that I saw so many of my relatives all at the same time was at my wedding.

We are an interesting mix of people--equal parts boisterous and reserved. A little bit quirky. Very loving. It's a good mix.

It's amazing how we have all grown older, yet still remain so unchanged. My dear husband and I are making our own family traditions--with his sisters and their children and with my parents and my sister. Those are the the gatherings that Bee and Cheeks will remember when they are grown.

But tonight, bringing my two little daughters to my very big family was the best sort of reunion. Old and young, past and future--a night to remember.