Sun-Dried Bean People

Family reunion 2006, St. George Island, FL.

This year marks the 9th reunion, and as each reuinon passes with its own personalities and challenges and memories, I have begun to appreciate the role that I have in my family.

For me, I consider this an accomplishment to acknowledge that I have a role and a place in the family.

For many years, I believed that I was adrift from this group of people, separated by age (the youngust adult 12 years my senior and the oldest child 12 years my junior), by political opinions, by extreme differences in income, education, and personality.

But after this year, I have finally come to some middle ground on the issue- maybe by accepting both sides of limitation and not trying to push those limits - and found a deep sense of appreciation for the people who have been a part of my life since my beginning, and now part of my little bean's life. And it only took me (almost) 30 years to give myself some credit for being a part of thier lives as well. This understanding comes as a huge relief.

I can attribute most of this newfound sense of place to birthing the most gorgeous little child and therefore opening the door to bonding over motherhood with my Aunts/Grandmother/Mother. Or perhaps that my marriage has finally allowed my Uncles to relax with me, as I am now claimed and someone else's responsibility. Or that enough time has passed that we can all laugh at my cheese-colored hair and raincoat that I sported to my Grandparents 50th wedding anniversary in 1996.

Time may not heal all wounds, but it gives a bit of room for humor to wiggle its way into memory, and that means that time is on my side in this instance.