Monday Morning Musings

Posted on August 24, 2015 under Monday Morning Musings with one comment

I wouldn’t skip a family reunion for anything

( Peter MacDonald photo )

Wow! My head is spinning. What a whirlwind four days. The range of emotions is really hard to articulate.

It all started last Thursday when a dear friend of the family passed away. The scourge of cancer claimed another person. Dave Dixon was a quality guy and we are all going to miss him. I’m doubly sad because he suggested a subject for one of my “living tributes” as I like to call them. He mentioned an older gentleman from Doctor’s Brook who led a pretty interesting life. I met with this person two days before Dave died. I had hoped to have the story finished in time so that he could hear it. But sadly, it wasn’t to be, although I was able to tell him a few funny stories from the interview. This story will be published in next week’s Casket .

Friday was also the last Art Fair for 2015 and this coincided with the first MacDonald Family Reunion in 15 years. Did I mention that it was an unseasonably warm and humid weekend…just in case you didn’t notice?! The reunion started late in the morning with a walk around The Landing and ended Sunday afternoon with a catered lunch at the John Paul Centre.

I certainly won’t bore you with all the details. This would be as bad as someone coming back from a mid- winter cruise and telling how great it was. There were definitely a few highlights though. On Friday night at the Art Fair, I was joined on stage by almost every relative, for the finale. We sang a handful of songs in four part harmony. And who was smack dab in the middle of this motley crew? My 90 year old mother. Even though she is showing signs of aging, she remembered every word to the songs we sang. I believe that music is one of those things that’s hard wired in our brains.

However, we were definitely upstaged by 19 Coady students who put on an amazing display in their 20 minute set. The crowd, estimated at 1200, clapped , hollered and cheered , as each participant brought greetings to Antigonish in the official language of their country. We are so fortunate to have them in our midst. It was a wonderful evening and I think everyone went away happy.

The rest of the weekend was full on family reunion. You know how these things go. It’s exhausting and exhilarating. The youngest attendee was Leah ( aged 2 ) and the oldest was mom at age 90. Thankfully, the weather forecasters had it all wrong ( a disturbing trend these days ). There wasn’t one outdoor event that was even close to being cancelled. The clan’s patriarch, P.D. died in 1977 so most of the people attending the reunion never got to meet him. The last event on Sunday was dedicated to his memory as most of my siblings told stories about dad so that our children and grandchildren would get a glimpse of who he was and what he stood for. All of my brothers and sisters ( including yours truly ) had a hard time getting through our presentations without some gulping and tears. As I said earlier, these kind of events evoke all kinds of emotions.

A huge thanks to the four cousins that put the whole thing together: Margaret , Laura, Tricia and Betsy.

September is lurking like an unwanted intruder.

Have a great week.

P.S. Yes, I can jump that high… and pigs fly!!!

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