Sunday Supper and First Cousins

Sunday Night Suppers have become a custom in my family.  It all started with my sister, LuAnn.  She is a lover of family first and second, an entertainer extraordinaire. Several years ago she lived in the San Francisco Bay Area of California as did my son, Sam, and his wife.  As they were the only family each other had in the area, they wanted to make it a point to connect on a regular basis.  Of course, they all had extremely busy lives.  Sunday night seemed to be the only time that commitments were fewer.  And it was a way to have something to look forward to on Sunday other than the dreaded, Monday. Within a few years, my nephew, Loren, moved to the area as well, and Sunday Suppers included another cousin. Those of us left back home in North Dakota weren't about to be left out!  We created Sunday Suppers of our own with brothers and sisters and nieces and nephews and aunts and uncles and cousins to continue the tradition . (Not every Sunday, but we aim for at least once a month.)
   Anyway, this past Sunday Lenny and I were invited to my Aunt Ardy's home for Sunday Supper.  Her oldest daughter, Diane, was
visiting from Oregon.  There were several first cousins around the table.

 (First cousins are myself, my brother, Darrel sitting next to me, Colleen in the yellow shirt and Diane in the black bouse.)

My Aunt Ardy is the lovely woman in the peach blouse.  Since we all share the same grandparents and great-grandparents what makes   this gathering extraordinary is that her home is the original  homestead of our great-grandparents (with some up-grades!). I like to think the ancestors are hovering around the table, delighted with each one of us and thrilled about us being together, sharing old and new stories, and laughing so hard that water comes out of our eyes. 

These Sunday Supper connections are priceless!  (And the food is good, too.)