Falling Back

I spent this weekend falling back.  The time changed and we met my sister and her family for the weekend.  Falling back in time required less effort than falling back into my family of origin.  I enjoyed the benefits of both, the extra hour of sleep and the comfort of being with someone who is connected by blood. 

We met at a state park where we rented two cabins next to each other and arrived with cars full of excited children and lots of plans.  I spend time before this kind of activity planning, prepping for meals, making sure everyone has everything they need packed, and keeping the family moving together toward our destination.  I rarely had time to think about what the actual visit would be like.  In some ways that was a good thing but I have to be careful not to fall back on old expectations and behaviors as I face new situations. 

Before we moved to our farm we lived an easy afternoon drive from this sister and her family.  We spent regular time with them.  We built relationships and enjoyed each other's company.  Over the course of several years, we forged a new way of dealing with each other, when it was just us and our families, that didn't rely on our parents or siblings.  Our relationship became as much about genuine caring as it was about family ties.

Meeting them at a park was a new idea for our two family groups.  First, it was neutral territory.  No one would have their stuff.  There would be fewer toys, fewer distractions, less space.  Thankfully, my sister came prepared with a "Boredom Box".  We were all happy to spend time outdoors.  The cousins clung and stuck and played happily.  The rough spots were smoothed fairly easily and quickly.  The pictures my sister took of the activities this weekend show what a wonderful weekend we had. 

We were so blessed that everyone was relatively healthy all weekend.  We had plenty of room and privacy so that most of us received adequate rest.  Much of the weekend was about meeting the needs of children.  That's to be expected with the age ranges of our children.  As time passes, the needs will change and so will our focus.  The blessing is that the relationships between our families will continue to grow as our families grow.  I pray that falling back together will always be so simple.