Besides the annual Golden Family Go Cart Races, we pretty much do our own thing Saturday and my Unkie cooks us all dinner Saturday night. We eat breakfast together in one condo and have dinner Saturday night in another. Imagine fitting anywhere from 40-50 people in a four bedroom condo and you know it's way crowded, yet so very worth it and so much fun. When my grandparents went to Branson we tended to eat in the condo they were staying in, as it was easier for them. You'd often find Grandpa sitting in one of the overstuffed chairs in the corner, watching and listening to everyone, and just taking it all in. He and Grandma both LOVED seeing us all together.
Grandpa and Grandma's health declined and they were unable to go to Family Reunion in 2008. We lost them both later that year. Even though they were unable to make it that year, they still encouraged us to all go, as it was important to them for the family to go and be together, with or without them.
We didn't have reunion in 2009 since we all got together for The Wedding of the Century in Joplin. This year, 42 (I think that's what we counted) of us met in Branson over the weekend of April 9. It was the first official family reunion since Grandma and Grandpa passed away. I would be lying if I said I wasn't sad at the thought of them not being there. I think we all were.
Each condo has a guest book that you can sign and leave messages about your time in Branson and at Thousand Hills. The Friday that we arrived in Branson, my cousin David was looking through the guestbook in their families condo. I believe my Aunt Claudia (David's Mom) had already realized that the four bedroom condo they were staying in was the same condo that Grandma and Grandpa had previously stayed in with another of my aunt and uncles.
While David was reading through the guestbook, he came across the entry below.
It was an entry that my Grandpa wrote in 2007, the last family reunion that Grandma and Grandpa went to. They indeed had stayed in the same condo that my Aunt Claud and her family were staying in.
I can't tell you how neat, yet sad at the same time, this was. It was so neat to come across that guestbook entry. For me, it was almost as if God was giving our family a sign that though not there physically, Grandpa and Grandma were most definately there in spirit. I could seriously see Grandpa and Grandma sitting up there in heaven, holding hands and smiling as we went throughout the weekend. At the same time though, it was a sad reminder of the ones we were missing so much.
I think at some point during the weekend, everyone read that post of Grandpa's. Some of us cried (I'm tearing up just writing this post, dang it!)...others just got quiet. My Dad's little brother didn't even read it because he knew for sure he'd cry! :) I personally wondered if we could rip it out and save it forever (jokingly). :) Obviously, instead we took lots of pictures of the page and each year we go back, I'm sure that'll be one of the first things we do-find the guestbook and read the entry that Grandpa wrote.
My Aunt Claud and I were talking later that afternoon and she made the comment "There are NOT many big, close families out there like ours. We're pretty darn lucky."
Yes ma'am we definiately are.
Thank you Heavenly Father for blessing me with an amazingly close family. Thank you for the leadership and the Godly example that both Grandpa and Grandma set for their kids and in turn us grandkids and great grandkids as well. How I got so lucky, I'll never know. Thank you also for the sweet reminder that You gave us through that guestbook entry.
Amen.
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