Today is Works for Me backwards day at Rocks in My Dryer. This means instead of me sharing something with you, you share with me.I find it strange that I can forever think of things I need help with until it is time to write a backwards works for me and then my mind draws a blank. This is where I find myself right now.
My mom has been here for 11 days, we drove to MO for a wedding over the weekend, came home Sunday and had the kids over today to say good bye to my mom. I am tired and tomorrow we bring her to the airport so she can head back east.
This is all said to bring me to my question. Four of my kids and 11 grandkids are in Maine, one daughter, a grand daughter and another grandchild due in September are in NC. My mom and most of my siblings are in the NJ/PA area and a brother is in MO, where we went to the wedding. I live in Texas and have 3 step children here as well as 4 grandkids. For those of you whose family is as scattered as mine, how do you keep go about keeping close ties?
When I went to the wedding this past weekend I realized I hardly know my brother and his family any more, we have lived apart since college. I miss my own kids and they all have busy lives as we do. I would like to do something to help us all keep up and close, but wondered what others do in this situation.
Thanks for your ideas!
For more backwards works for me go to Rocks in my Dryer.
3 comments:
I live in the USA - my parents and all siblings but one live in Canada...the other sibling is on another continent!
I have found that in order to keep up good family ties - everyone has to want to do it. I feel like I've done my part - but it's hard to keep emailing first, or being the one to call all the time or to be the one that travels to visit everyone else.
One thing my dh's family does is that every other Thanksgiving they have a family reunion Thanksgiving dinner...aunts take turn hosting it. This yr was the last one ever probably due to folks' ages...but there were almost 100 people there. But if you only see some of those folks 1x every 2nd yr you still are not going to get to really know them.
So I guess this doesn't really help - but I understand how you feel.
My extended family (on my dad's side) has a family reunion every two years. Most people make it every year because we know it's coming. I also call members of my family when I'm driving, running errands, etc. even just that few minutes makes a big difference!
I think a family reunion is a great idea. But I agree that it has to be something everyone wants to do. My husband's family has a yearly family reunion the same weekend every year. It works out good, the people who want to come, come and the people who don't, don't.
They have it at his aunts house and people just put up tents in her yard, they rent a port-a-potty, and hook up a camping shower. Each year at the reunion they do an auction to help pay for the costs. Everyone brings stuff they have at home that they think people would want to buy. It's fun because even silly little things get bought, just to raise money.
Maybe we could get something like that together in New Jersey or something.
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