A Summer of Family Connections

This past Saturday Jerry and I attended a reception for newlyweds, Andrew and Kate Ellingson.  Andrew's parents, Ed and Colleen Ellingson, hosted a delightful garden party for family, neighbors, and friends -- well over one hundred people -- at their Milwaukee home near Washington Park. I could rave about the elaborate buffet Colleen prepared, but today I'm focusing on family.  This is the fourth family gathering I've been to this summer, and I'm feeling good about all those family connections: with people I see fairly often, with those I haven't seen in years, and with those new to the family (little children and brides) whom I've never met before.

At the foot of the staircase, Ed and Colleen have a family photograph gallery, and my eye caught the formal wedding portrait of my grandparents, Andrew and Ella Ellingson.  Andrew Ellingson, I think to myself: there in the photo on the wall and again, there in the backyard, four generations later, greeting guests and introducing them to his bride.  A wonderful connection.

On Wednesday, we're headed to Massachusetts where I'll visit the Pasersky family.  (I wrote about them a couple of weeks ago, "Introducing My Daughter. . . .") There I'll get reacquainted with Ella, almost 6 years old, who probably has no idea that her great-great grandmother was also named Ella -- and I've learned there's another "Grandmother Ella" on the Pasersky side of the family.  Another connection.

Two of the family gatherings were happy occasions -- the wedding reception for Andrew and Kate and a graduation party for my great-niece Samantha Kirby, of Mankato, Minnesota.  There I reconnected with my sister Wanda's family -- more warm fuzzies and some good photos. 

The saddest gathering of the summer was a funeral for my niece Cheryl Carmen Bauch Wagner, of Eau Claire, Wisconsin, who died of cancer May 15, 2010.  She was only 49 years old, the mother of two wonderful teenage boys, Nolan and Aaron.  While the funeral was sad, the gathering at her home afterward brought family and friends together to celebrate Cheryl's life and to re-establish our family bonds.  Cheryl was one of four children born to my sister Arlene Ruth Johnson Bauch and Dayle Bauch, both deceased.  The other adult children -- Paula, Gregg, and Troy, together with their families, were all together, supporting one another, as well as Cheryl's sons, at this sad time.  It makes me appreciate family so very much.

The other family gathering in July was another funeral -- this time in Mabel, Minnesota for my Aunt Carol Halverson, sister of my father, Willard.  Carol, age 98, had spent these last months in a nursing home, failing steadily, so her death was something of a relief from suffering.  The service was held in a beautiful little country church, Garness Lutheran, and buried in the church cemetery. It was a peaceful setting.

Meanwhile, in the church basement Carol's church circle prepared the kind of lunch you hear about in Garrison Keillor's Lake Woebegone stories. I saw Minnesota cousins I hadn't seen for years and met some of their children and grandchildren for the very first time. 

I have relatives from many states across the country: California, Arizona, Washington, Oregon, Montana, Colorado, Texas, Massachusetts, Indiana, Illinois, Tennessee, Minnesota, Florida, Wisconsin, as well as Washington, D.C. (and then there's my brother Vince and niece Tami in Canada.) 

At the moment, as I reflect on these family gatherings, I'm feeling a little bit nostalgic.  But mostly, I'm happy for "family connections."