take a load off, fannie

i spent the weekend with my family. we stayed in a big old victorian house in need of some updating. there were statues of the happy buddha in the room in which i slept. they made me feel incredibly welcome and mostly at home. there was some concern about spirits lingering around the house, but i am pretty sure if they were there, they were of the friendly variety. they probably wanted in on the fun.

i'm counting my family at five now, with jimnerd's nuptuals coming ever closer on the horizon i feel confident we've grown to five. i like this kind of math. in the past month or so i've seen a few families up close, ones not my own, and i like the expansion that takes place with marriage and friendship, reminding us we are so much greater than single individuals. to come together in good times or in bad is where we see our strength so clearly. families and friends are where smiles are born, stories are shared, shoulders are leaned on, dances are stepped, and when all else fails, the mere feeling of your own arms around another soul and theirs around you can give you ground on which you can once again stand without wobble.

so, it was the five of us, plus aunts, uncles, cousins, and even, for a brief sojurn, sneakers the dog. we laughed - c'mon man - and some cried gushing tears of happiness. we gave each other a hard time, caught up on time spent apart, and made plans for seeing each other again. it was nice to have a reason to all be away somewhere together. i liked being around everyone, hearing their voices or steps on the creaking floors. it was a happy occasion and we're lucky we have more good to come.