Last night I got to spend some time with family, we met for dinner at an Italian restaurant with outside seating. That’s my sister Courtney & brother Steve on the left, my sister Shawn & myself on the right.
(They came with their spouses, I came alone, but we took this picture of just the Morris Kids.) It’s surprising how long it’s been since we’ve been together; I haven’t seen Steve in nearly 4 years, Shawn only once in 2 years & Courtney with the big smile in front—it’s been 20 years. I last saw her in person at our Dad’s funeral in February 2001.
We have yet another sister in South Carolina and an older brother that no one has seen in several years.
It’s a bit sad and strange how the years have put distance between us, but I suppose it’s not surprising. I just know that when we were growing up, our dad & HIS four siblings all lived minutes from one another. Unlike us, none of them ever moved away.
Ah well!
Nothing eventful or very interesting to add here, just wanted to share this nice photo while I work on a couple upcoming blogs. Hope everyone has a nice weekend.
I'm here by way of Tom. Our family (6 siblings) are scattered all over the world but Zoom has been kind to us. We now meet every Sunday at 5.30 my time. It has been wonderful talking about ancestors and our own childhoods. We've had awful difficulties in the past which would not have healed (maybe semi-healed?) without it.
ReplyDeleteI love your photo.
XO
WWW
Hi Wisewebwoman, wow that is awesome how you & your siblings use Zoom to meet regularly. I appreciate you sharing this, we too have had our difficulties (who hasn't), but your going the extra mile here to remedy things is impressive. Thanks for visiting my blog, btw! :)
DeleteThat's a fabulous photo! Distance and people's varied schedules make get togethers problematic. My only surviving brother lives close to me; he's nearly 15 years younger, works in the Seattle area, and has a young family. So, he's busy even though I'm not. Hope you had a great conversation and good time with your siblings.
ReplyDeleteHi Margaret, you're too kind thanks so much. I sure am sorry for any losses your family has incurred, but I can understand about a sibling being 15 years younger and dealing with younger things than yourself. That is sort of the same way wirh me & my baby sister. Anyway, we did have a nice evening--just lots & lots of friendly catching up :)
DeleteYou have a large family. Blessings!
ReplyDeleteThanks Gigi!
DeleteGlad you had a nice reunion, Doug. I can just imagine the gabs interspersed with laughs. Good times! You guys must just have arrived. No drinks or food to be seen. I was lucky enough to have my brother and his family come for our Thanksgiving holiday. I especially loved seeing his great-grand-children.
ReplyDeleteHaha--Florence,this picture was taken AFTER dinner and everything was cleaned up! We were just sitting for awhile talking (and yep, laughing). That's terrific to read about seeing your own brother over Thanksgiving, but he's a great-grandfather?? Wow :)
DeleteGood looking family Doug. I do see the resemblance. Almost twenty years for Courtney?? Mercy. So happy you were able to get together. Families now days seem so scattered. Now with the Covid, we are even more separated. Hope you don't have so many years between this one and your next reunion.
ReplyDeleteThanks very much Patti, and yes this Covid sure isn't helping. Well, my youngest sister (who I haven't seen in 20 years) has finally settled down in nearby Ohio, so I'm sure we won't have to wait so long again. But I have to take some blame here too, I need to make more of an effort. :)
DeleteGreat to see the four of you together. Hopefully next it will be six! I have two sisters. We seem to be able to get together once every two or three years even though we're not that close either emotionally or geographically -- we're spread apart from Pennsylvania to Florida to Arizona.
ReplyDeleteThanks Tom! Well that's great to read you and your sisters make an effort to get together fairly regularly. (My youngest sister spent a long time in Florida too, but wow Arizona!) I know I need to try harder too.
DeleteIt's so wonderful that you were able to spend some quality time with three of your siblings. But wow! 20 years? That's amazing! Both Art and I have only 1 sibling each. And his sister's name is Kay too. I'm grateful my brother lives just 15 minutes away.
ReplyDeleteThanks Kay! And yes, 20 years--she just moved so far away. But hopefully, it won't be 20 years again :) Anyway, that's interesting you & Art both have one sibling, and you have his sister's name! But that's great about your brother living close. I think I remember you mentioning him before, but it's been awhile :)
DeleteI first looked at that picture and wondered right away if that was you on the right. I looked at your profile picture and wasn't sure. You look good, just a little bit whiter on the top. Nice family! :-)
ReplyDeleteHahaha! DJan, thanks for the kind remarks and yes my friend, you are very observant. My profile pic is 3 years old, my hair has gone pretty much white in just the last year or so. I guess it's time for an update. :^) PS. My blogs banner pic is 4 years old--but with the new blogger interface, I'm unable to update it even if I wanted.
DeleteNice you and siblings could get together. Hope all were safe from virus. Really hard to gather for decades now as people scatter across the country and even the world. Once my bro moved to Hawaii's Big Island (he's recently deceased now) we weren't able to visit as often as when he was on the mainland. Even my children live across the continent. Appreciate having Internet, Facetime, now Zoom for maintaining some face-to-face interaction with my children and grandchildren.
ReplyDeleteThanks Joared, my sibs & I were lucky (and I hope we stay that way--virus free!) I was sorry to read about your brother, and your distant children too. But you're right, it's amazing how we can connect now compared to just a few years ago.
DeleteBoy, there are a lot of you. I have one sibling, an older sister whom I see only every few years because she lives in Los Gatos, near San Jose, at the bottom of San Francisco Bay.
ReplyDeleteI used to visit every few years, even more frequently sometimes, and she’d come here less often. The last time we met in person was about two years ago when she visited me.
We’re not going to visit in person for some time yet, quite obviously. There are few people allowed into Australia at the moment, and I wouldn’t want to visit America right now.
Peter the MM
Thanks for sharing Peter, and (sadly) I can understand not wanting to visit America right now; I'm afraid to visit family 60 miles south! Anyway, hope your sister is good at least--sounds like she lives in a beautiful part of the US.
DeleteI'm sure you had lots to chat about Apachedug. Its important to keep family talking to each other which btw I can see from the friendly photo faces you have and its in times like these high fiving really matters.
ReplyDeleteYou're right Spacer, and thanks very much my friend :)
DeleteWhat a lovely family picture :)
ReplyDeleteMy own, much smaller family is spread far and wide and we don't keep in touch as much as some.
I'm often surprised to hear of families such as your dad and his siblings who never moved away from where they were born. I remember always moving.
Thank you River, and I'm sorry about your own smaller family. Yes the older I get, the more I realize my dad & aunts & uncles all remaining close their entire lives was an uncommon thing.
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