Xenial

 How can you be loved by everyone? My sister and brothers had friends who flocked to our doors daily. Sometimes we wished we did not have so many people in our house. Although it was the largest house for blocks, it was sometimes too full. When I was younger I just accepted it, later I realized my friends did not always have someone in their home who was kind, loving, considerate, understanding, would listen, did not judge, never turned them away, always had time for everyone. This was Nan. Is is possible for a mother to be a hero to hundreds? Mother Theresa, Kathy Headlee, Nancy Edison, Lou Xiaoying are four mothers in history who were amazing, tolerant and forthright. These women were unlike each other but the same in their determination to help others, love without denial.

I had to admit I was jealous of my sisters and brothers when I moved away from my home town in 1968. I never moved back to that area. So many parties, birthdays, graduations, wedding, confirmation, family reunions I missed made me sad. There were always lots of HUGS, laughter, card games, hours of talking and reminiscing. There was no zoom or face time back then, you just heard second hand stories of how much fun everyone had just being together.

We were lucky enough to belong to a swim club for years. Everyday was a picnic, we had to take turns watching the younger children while Nan was in the pool holding the toddlers for swim lessons. Each day we were given 10 cents to go up to the snack bar and get a treat. We were rich for 15 seconds. Many days we were allowed to bring one friend. We had a station wagon and no seat belts. How man kids can fit into a station wagon, driving for 30 minutes and no one is crying. Answer 22. How can Nan keep track of 22 children at a pool. She was amazing.

The same thing happened when we went to the Jersey shore a few weekend a year. Grab a chair, carry your own towel, hold your sister's hand, walk together, take your brother to the rest room, fix the umbrella, go to the waters edge with a bucket to help build a sand castle. We did not want time to ourselves because we did not know what that concept was on the beach. Family first.

When we had family reunions with all of the cousins, aunts, uncles and extended family there were at least 75. A day with so many people was broken up to baseball, football, corn toss, tag, three legged races and other games. A keg of birch beer, root beer, Schlitz beer and pounds of food. Not everyone has this opportunity to love each other.

Party On!