At The Beach

Bowman family reunions are always full of surprises and rituals. This one was no different. But it did have the added feature of bringing together John's half sisters and family and some of his children who had never met them. It's a long story, but John discovered when he was in his 60s that his mother (from whom he had been separated as a young boy and didn't find until six years ago just after her death) had remarried, moved to Florida and had three more daughters. One was living in his mother's home and another nearby. We have visited them several times since finding them and from them, we have learned everything we know about her life. We visited them again before heading for the reunion site in Destin, FL, and we watched home videos of some of her Christmases.

There were 13 Griffis family members who caravaned with us from MacClenny in Northern Florida to the resort town of Destin on the Gulf of Mexico. We had all rented cottages and son, J.J., and his family were located right by the pool. He said it was a shock to meet family that had thick Southern accents but everyone quickly bonded as we noticed the physical similarities between cousins from both sides of the family.

Then J.J. proposed we play Killer, a family traditon at reunions. The Griffis family jumped right in and pretty soon we were laughing with no accents as Abby, 6, killed someone with a wink and her brother, Colby, guessed she was the killer because she blushed. It was a great icebreaker.

We got to spend time with our grandson, Matthew, who is 2 and has cystic fibrosis. He's doing great and loved the attention and all the people crowded into the beach cottage. He also loved the beach and was fearless in the waves. The second day at the beach the red flag went up keeping us out of the water, and we started feeling the preview of the later storms. John got to play tennis with his sons and grandsons.

From Florida, I flew to Chicago for a college sorority reunion and I quickly was transported back to the days in the sorority house where 21 girls shared one bathroom and lived to tell about it. Everyone has arrived at a place in their lives where they are happy with what they have accomplished and still planning new adventures. We shared stories of the good old days and current family news. I led a round of songs which we remembered most of the words to.

It was a wonderful way to end the summer and now I'm back in Roseville getting ready for a party my friend is having for me to introduce Space for Grace to her friends. And it's time to hang the last pictures and assemble the dining room chairs we ordered from Pottery Barn. Feathering a new nest in a new life.