Monday, June 03, 2019

June

June is always filled with nostalgia for me. I guess it is for most people - it's an active month because of its weather and the fact that school is not in session. So a lot of special occasions are scheduled for June. The month starts for me with our son's bday on June 1! What a day that was back on the actual birth day! He was a week past due. Being the considerate person he has continued to be for mumblety-two years, he kindly waited for his father to finish his seminary classes and graduate before making his appearance. He wanted me to be able to attend the graduation, I guess. Thanks, Steve. Here our baby boy is preparing to "give away" his baby girl last year.




Then on June 3, we celebrate my only antebellum sibling's birthday. Four-year-old Janice and 1 1/2 year-old I were alone with our 20-year-old mother for a couple (3?) of years while Daddy went to war; so Jan and I have always had some sense of separateness from the five younger siblings born after a five+ year gap. Jan, being much more extroverted than I, opened social doors for me throughout our childhood and adolescence. We shared a room and a bed for the first 16 years of my life; one doesn't get much closer than that. This year (today) marks the 80th anniversary of Jan's birth! Wow! There it is in black and
white; so it MUST be true, right? (I won't make the obvious political comment about the 2019 American free press here.) This pic is of Jan and me last year on this day.

Last year, June 3 acquired new significance for me. Our precious oldest living grandchild, Rachael, married her handsome firefighter on June 3, 2018. Rachael is a Rainbow Baby, born just 13 months after her older sister, Caitlin, was stillborn. She has always been a delightful free spirit, always up for fun, always free with her expressions of feelings - happiness, unhappiness, fear, joy, love - whatever she was/is feeling, she's an open book. As a small child, she would run full-force and jump into my (or any of her significant adults') arms squealing with the happiness of reunion after a separation of any kind.

June 7, marks the anniversary of Jim's and my marriage - 56 years ago now! We've shared our lives in so many ways through these years - good times, great times, joyous times, tedious times, sad times, stressful times - whatever has come our way, we've tried to be each other's strength and support. (The dress-up pic was taken a couple of years ago on a South American cruise; the casual one was taken last week.)
June 18 is Lyn and Ricky's anniversary. (Picture was taken last week at our joint birthday dinner for Lyn and Steve.)


 June 23 is Steve and La Donna's anniversary. (Picture was taken last week as we celebrated Lyn's and Steve's birthdays.)

In an extended family as large as ours, it would be virtually impossible to note all the connections that make June a special and busy month in our lives. These are some of the significant ones. So, bring it on, June. We're ready to party!


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