When I was a child we always went to my maternal Grandmother’s house for Sunday, Easter, and Christmas dinners. As my Grandmother aged and was afflicted with Alzheimer’s disease someone had to take over these duties. So it moved to our house. My Mother took that over very easily, or so it looked to me. Looking back I remember occasionally having it at this Aunt’s house or that one’s. But quickly it moved to always being at my mother’s house and with time the Sunday dinners turned into just our family and Christmas moved to another Sunday in December. Then we moved our Grandmother’s birthday in with Christmas since it was the same month and consolidated two get-togethers into one since there were so many folks (not just grandkids, but great grandkids) to coordinate with now. Time passes and now my Grandmother has moved to Heaven and my mother too. And the duty and honor has to fall to someone if the family is to continue to get together. Now I’m the mother and grandmother. My sister, female cousins, and I are in that transition mode of trying to keep it going. We haven’t landed on a “we always go here for holidays” just yet. We had Christmas at my cousin’s home. This year we are having Easter at mine. So we’ll get together here the Saturday before Easter. No mother and grandmother for me. My cousins, sister and I are the mothers and grandmothers. I’ll be hosting the get together not just for my children and grandchildren, but also for their siblings and cousins, nieces and nephews.

My mother’s great grandchildren will be here, my grandmother’s great great grandchildren. What an honor to know these ladies who went before and have shown us the way. What an honor to pick up the quilt and keep the family wrapped together. Women do this. Sorry – two cousins are missing in this photo!