This is from the summer of 1974, or was it '75. (My sister Courtney isn't here and she was born in July '75, so she was either not born yet, or a newborn and too little to be with the rest of us.) That's me on the upper left, and my older brother Duke holding our cousin Amy on the far right.
My other sibs are here too, Shawn, Steve & Donda-Lin. And cousins--lots of cousins, with 2 more on the way. These were all on my dad's side of the family.
The photo was taken at our Grandma & Grandpap Morris place in the country. After they sold their farm to their eldest daughter and her husband (my Aunt Dena & Uncle Bill), they were given a plot of land where they set up a mobile home with a large redwood porch and wonderful giant yard. Every summer until the early '80s, everyone would bring covered dishes and gather there on Sundays after church.
Dad and Grandpap Morris, standing under the carport connected to Grandpap's mobile home
I've had that photo at the top for many years, but never thought to share it until just recently when my cousin Emily left a comment on my post about Dolly Parton. It's been a long, long time since I've had any contact with my cousins.
I can even remember one of our final gatherings there. It was the summer of '81, I was in college and had sadly taken up smoking but hadn't told anyone.
I was standing behind the trailer here, sneaking a cigarette while everyone else was out front. My cousin Jonna came back there for some reason (she's the one beside me in glasses in that top photo), saw me and exclaimed "Doug's a druggie!!"
(Meanwhile, every adult there except Aunt Dena smoked like chimneys--but I was the druggie!)
After Grandpap Morris died in '82, only 70 years old of a sudden heart attack, Grandma moved into an apartment in town and the Sunday gatherings pretty much ended. And as I reach my mid-sixties (and wrestle with a brain fogged in long covid) my memories of these times grow more & more dim. I look at these pictures now and can hardly believe I was once part of them.
If I had an ounce of faith in me, I'd like to think that someday I'll see all of these kinfolk again. Just a thought.
Family reunions - ah, many fond memories of my own and sadly too, those stopped over 10 years ago. As relatives pass and we kids become seniors - gasp!, connections diminish and no one makes time so the next generation can enjoy what we once did; it's very sad indeed. Anyone that is still part of such a tradition, I say hang onto it and keep it going. You will definitely miss it when it's gone. ~P
ReplyDeleteThank you P (Pen?), nicely said. Well, I was fortunate to see several of these people again in the summer of 2023, my sister Shawn and husband Jim had an outdoor graduation party for my niece Sophia, with a really big turnout. 🙂
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