A Family Blessing

A visit to a beloved aunt and uncle who live far away brings delight to the heart. Although time and distance makes these meetings not often enough, there is a great deal of pleasure in picking up where we left off the last time we were together. Conversing and taking pleasure in one another's companionship brings so much joy. Talk of family, of ancestors, of old times is sure to ensue. And photos of those who are now gone spark interest and pleasure in remembering these times gone by.

I love the photo of Grandmother Iva (above). To me, she looks like she belongs at Highclere Castle with the rest of the Downton Abbey occupants. She looks so beautiful. I wonder what she is hiding behind those smokey eyes. Mischief, perhaps? She was an adventurious woman who was as confident driving a cattle truck as she was hosing farm dinners or reading the mission story at church. When she and Gramp were courting they once spilled and tipped their horse drawn sled into a snowbank. Grandmother was the queen of road trips! Sometimes she even drove a lumber truck into the city, loaded heavily with crate for delivery. Don't let those smokey eyes fool you!

Here's grandmother and grandfather with their pretty daughters. Years have passed since the first photo of Grandmother Iva. Her hair is carefully curled and styled in an up-do. She's probably in her mid-forties in this photo. One of her daughters is my dear mother-by-marriage and the other is sweet Aunt Marcella. As happens with time, those dear pass on. Aunt Marcella is the only one who remains of the generations gone before.

Fast forward to this lovely photo of Grandmother Iva with Gramp. Her hair is snowy white and it was always perfectly coifed with an ever present perm. I always appreciated her beautiful smile and the quiet glow that surrounded her. She's probably near seventy in this photo. Her gentle and quiet ways graced our family with love until she was 105 years old.

We missed her while on a recent visit to her home. It seems different without her there. But Aunt Marcella now is hostess of the house and has the same grace that Grandmother Iva did. It's so nice that we can go back and find that the welcome mat is still out; that love creeps out of every space. Conversation, good food, memories of past adventures, a bit of spiritual counsel, and family love make this a place to come back to whenever you can! A family blessing!