PULLING IT TOGETHER

Easter Sunday was an interesting day. TLW (The Little Woman) and me, my older sister Tessie (much older), my niece Laurie and nephew Gerard, their son Sean, my nephew John, and my older sister Tessie’s (much older) grandson Nicholas all showed up at Mom’s house for dinner.

Mom is slowly convalescing from the fall she took on Christmas Day and can hardly walk. Entering the house she sees me and starts yelling.

“I didn’t do anything, I can’t stand on my back, I didn’t have a chance to prepare anything.”

I look at TLW and say: “The hell with them, let’s go” meaning Mom and her boy-toy. My wife looks at me and we start to put the food in the oven, setting the table and opening the wine. As the family arrives we all gather around the small dining room table but I notice something that strikes me right away: It is nice to be together for the holiday in Mom’s house once again!

Thinking back, the last time Mom had a major holiday was Easter, 1991! That was the last holiday Dad was alive and once he passed in June of 1991, we decided to have the holidays at our respective homes. So what does the conversation turn to? Dad. Dad was there somehow at that table, or at least his spirit was, and we all picked up the spirit of conversation and I told little tidbits about him, then someone asked me to read my blogue aloud about my older sister Tessie (much older) and her birthday. We talked about my brother-in-law John who recently passed and Laurie and Gerard's son Stephen who is away in college playing Lacrosse, and how well he is doing.

Sitting at the end of the table, in rapt attention sat this tiny little old lady, once the dominating force in all our lives, listening. A serene and attentive pose painted across her face, taking a small joy in having some of us home once again!