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kickball and biking
swinging on swings at the park . . .
youth’s sweet vibrant spark

Memories of my childhood and teenage years are probably the strongest of all my memories. I don’t quite know why that is. They simply seem even dearer than memories of my wedded life with my husband and own two children. There’s just something very special about the original family. Those first seeds of family planted early in my mind took root so deeply, blossoming eternally beautiful for me  Even though I was raised by a single mother after my mother needed to divorce my biological father, life was still good, and I had many fun times with my three little sisters. When I turned eight, my mother remarried. I immediately gained three new siblings, and a year later – a half-sister who is one of my best friends to this day. By then we were a family of ten! We enjoyed so many activities together that despite the frustrations and difficulties associated with a blended family, the good far outweighed the bad. Visits to the zoo, fairs, parks and swimming pools in summer, ice skating and sledding in the winter, popcorn night with our favorite tv shows, family dinners and playing board games at that kitchen table, the magic of each holiday, church event, family vacation or family reunion, the picnics, the bike rides . . . I could go on and on. 

Dad yells up the stairs
as we giggle in our rooms . . .
get to sleep you guys
 
I regret that my own two children were not raised around extended family to get to know cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents very well. My spouse and I lived far from them all and rarely were able to visit them. Though we tried to share great experiences with our kids, I feel they missed out on many special times with relatives. My daughter married into a family with tons of relatives on her husband’s side, so her three children are having those experiences my own two kids had so few of. My daughter even tells me that she wished she had grown up with more family around her. Today people are having smaller families, but I found true joy in being part of a large family. Never will I forget the pleasures of my youth and never will I forget those long summer Iowa evenings as we sat on the back patio relaxing, eating treats like popcorn or homemade ice cream, and talking into the night.

together out back
as fireflies flicker their light . . .
laughter fills the night

Feb 10,2023
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