Wherin I yearn for days gone by

My Moms sister, my Aunt, died this past weekend. She was 91. I was having a discussion with my Cousin yesterday about this...and the passing of her generation, our other Uncles, Aunts, Grand Parents & Parents.

One thing that we discussed is the ability they had in drawing family together. Work was important, by family was more-so. I have great memories of these gatherings. We're not talking about 10 to 15 relatives, no...more like a small community size gathering. when our extended brood got togehter. After church in the summer for coffee, sometimes dinner too, at the cottage on the lake, the pool party/cookouts at another Uncle and Aunts and, at each, the boisterious kids running around, being noisy, carrying on and the adults letting them do just that...cause they are kids after all...let them have thier fun!

Somewhere in the space of years gone by these gatherings fell by the wayside. I don't know if everyone just got too busy...of if we just have the perception that we're too busy, but we have been negligent in carrying the torch. Maybe I'm just being melancholy in light of recent and past recent events. But, looking back, those were great times, cherished memories, and it's a shame that our generation has not carried on those traditions. Maybe that's why they call the generation passing on before our eyes the greatest generation. Besides being sad events maybe what the death of those dear to us is, is a call to action and to make us remember because, inevitably, that is what we do.