My younger brother got married over Memorial Day weekend, so we brothers were together for the first time since forever, and all my kids were together the first time since Christmas.

Somehow it seemed an appropriate time for Rick to get married because I’m sure that my mother would have been pleased that my brother had finally found someone he wanted to marry and would have someone who loved him as much as she did. It doesn’t take long for such thoughts to lead to other thoughts about those who have passed away recently. Though Lael probably gets her temper more directly from her mother than my mother,

I’m still reminded of my mother’s readiness to stand up for herself when I saw Lael let her cousin know in no uncertain terms that it was HER turn to launch the rocket, sword or no sword.

Just holding the picnic on Puget Sound reminded me how much my father loved it. I spent a good fifteen minutes watching Zoe play in the stream that ran into the Sound, young enough to still be fascinated about the miracle of cold stream water.

All in all, it might have been the perfect weekend if I hadn’t managed to catch the youngest granddaughter’s cold. She must be the perfect child if she felt as bad as I do today and fussed as little as she did.