Reunion

Saturday the Matson’s will gather for the annual family reunion in Volga, SD. After loosing so Grandpa, his brother, his sister and his sister-in-law I’m left in awe of the repeated message at Grandpa’s funeral just a week ago, "We need to get together to laugh instead of cry" although I’m sure tears will be shed. We’re supposed to be gathering to celebrate the 65th wedding anniversary of Anne and Charles – we will be celebrating them, but instead of their lives we’ll gather to celebrate their lives as well as the lives of Donald and Grandpa. We’ll also celebrate family with joy and sorrow entangled.

Aaron and I are processing and grieving the best way we know how. Somehow we both learned the same coping method – comfort food. We’ve eaten at Jimmy John’s, Panera, Q’Doba, Old Chicago and the list continues. Sunday night we decided to get away from our house…we ran all the way to a suite at the Holiday Inn 2 miles away. We filled our evening with food and drink from the spectacular Hyvee and a few hours in the pool. Monday we put off coming home by going to see Ocean’s 13. Grieving sucks, it really does, but we’re doing it and loving on each other as our way through it.

Tomorrow night we get to spend the night at Uncle Scott and Aunt Jan’s in Volga, I told Aaron that I need to be around his family, I didn’t care if he wanted to stay in Sioux Falls, but I wanted to hang at Scott and Jan’s with all the four cousins (‘cause Aunt Shirley and maybe Uncle Joe will be there too) before the reunion. It’s a time to be together, it’s a time for love, family and faith.