Only to Inspire--our family reunion

Nik Wallenda

I missed Nik Wallenda’s walk across Niagara Falls last Friday.   We were out at the beach for the Schwartzes (my maiden name) family reunion and no one kept track of TV.   Besides, we were busy.   I could've been drowning my grandson with kisses, shlepping chairs and lemonade back to the condo, or yakking with someone while strolling the sands of New Smyrna.  Everyone had stories to tell and we save our best for the beach.  If they’re long and drawn out, even better.  We got plenty of time to listen.

   

The big story this year was my brother’s recent move.   He and my sister-in-law just sold their house in Denver and moved to another home closer to downtown.  Everyone asked if they downsized.
Not exactly.
The new one's seven square feet smaller, but I bet it eliminates a good ninety seconds of cleaning.  It also holds two hundred bottles of wine in the cellar that the previous owner had built. 

Except my brother and sister-in-law don't drink.   But paraphrasing Tevya, it's nice to show.
And we're all happy for them.  “So how'd it go?” I asked.                              

The movers arrived and worked from ten a.m. until three a.m, but still didn’t complete the job.  They returned a few hours later and worked from one p.m till nine.

Which got me to thinking, do I ever want to move?  We talk about it sometimes but staying in a home for thirty years gives one pause.  Not for the nostalgia but for the multi layers of crap we accumulated and need to toss.

   

Kayla and Stacey

The kids all gabbed about work, friends, and deciding where we’d go for dinner that evening.  At a reunion with serious vegging, everything gains equal importance. 

Well we don’t exactly veg.  We need to stay sharp to keep up with the talk and offer opinions, even when nobody asks for them.   And nobody ever does. 

You see, the Schwartzes aren’t one of those families where the group politely listens until someone finishes a thought.   We interrupt like nobody’s business, yelling suggestions, and repeating them like immediate executive orders. 

It’s a group you gotta get used to.
 

So we missed Wallenda sashaying along a two-inch wide cable over Niagara Falls while 100,000 people watched from below.   Wow, I thought, seeing the tape.      

“Welcome to Canada!” the customs officials called as Wallenda stepped onto their soil.

“And what is your reason for visiting?” one of them asked.   I laughed.   This was cool.

“To inspire,” he said.               

And that’s what he did.  A renewal of life, I thought. 

Same as our family reunion, a reconnection each summer that no matter what, we belong.