Summer is a time of family reunions and gatherings. So too has it been for our families. Through COVID and isolation, we have lost contact with nephews, nieces, cousins, and the next generation. Our family has done a lot of catching up with the Kleven, Cumming, and Foster relatives over a four-week period. And in those weeks, we were able to celebrate the 100th birthday of Vivian Foster in Waterloo.
My brother hosted a family celebration on July 1 that enabled my two grandchildren to meet his four grandchildren and our cousin’s two children who had arrived from Winnipeg. We had relatives from Atlanta, and Calgary, many of the children had not even been born when we last met at a wedding in Calgary. Similarly, our Foster family had not been together since that same five year ago wedding at the Old Mill in Toronto.
Much has happened in the intervening years. Three new great granddaughters have arrived, the youngest being one hundred years younger than her great grandmother.
Our two, at one and a half and three and a half, were charmed by their older cousin Anna Kleven from Winnipeg at my brother’s cabin. I was amazed at how Anna became their protector on the beach and water and how they cuddled up to her in the afternoon to listen to a story she read.
At the 100th birthday party, my two granddaughters stayed close to their two older girl cousins at the party and afterwards. They became the best of friends with Abby and Delsie playing Barbies. Two days earlier, we had travelled to the African Lion Safari Park and the adults, back as Delsie, Zoe, and Clara crunched their noses against the glass to see the lions, rhinoceros, baboons, and giraffes roam the different sections of the park and the two youngest would squeal with delight every time they saw a new group of animals. It was a fun experience to watch the enjoyment of the cousins as they bonded.
Later in the day at the water park, the three girls played in the shallow pools of the water having fun enjoying each other.
For the adults, we spent a great deal of time simply talking about our experiences over the past five years and where our careers are today. There have been many changes in that time. But for a few short days, we could re-establish our connections in face-to-face discussions. Long distances may have had to be travelled, but the rewards of the small family reunion and celebration of a 100-year-old matriarch made the weekend well worthwhile.