In 2000 my family rekindled an old tradition of family outings, something we had not done for quite some time. I remember when our immediate family, plus grandma, aunts, uncles and cousins got together at least every couple of months for a party, picnic or birthday. But as years have gone by, get-togethers have gotten further and further apart.
We faced a death in the family that in itself was not pleasant, but did provide a pleasurable outcome by bringing a large part of the family together. First for the funeral and then again for a special trip to a remote lake to spread the ashes. It was a memorable time spent fishing, talking, playing games and telling stories. Some memories weren’t warm and fuzzy, but were definitely scrapbook material. Mosquitoes swarmed us nearly the whole time. Our four-wheelers were stuck in muddy bogs for hours and we bounced up and down on hard trails reminiscent of buckboards and the old west. This trip is a memory we will hold dear in our hearts as we do the memory of our brother Walter.
About the author
Virginia Coty/Jeffords is a forty year resident of Fairbanks, Alaska. She’s a wife of twenty-two years and mother of three. She “loves the Lord, my family, friends, writing, computers and my digital camera.”