Off The Beaten Path

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Georgia, United States
Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Some people move our souls to dance. They awaken us to new understanding with the passing whisper of their wisdom. Some people make the sky more beautiful to gaze upon. They stay in our lives for awhile, leave footprints on our hearts, and we are never ever the same.

Tuesday, October 2

Family

A Family Across The Miles

Let's not count the miles in between,
they are not what matters most.
Let us recall the joys we have shared,
those thoughts will keep us close.
Let us fill our minds of thoughts,
of memories held dear.
And the miles in between us
will just seem to disappear.

Our family is scattered so far apart these days, it is beginning to cause anxiety to those of us who are missing out on seeing the little ones. (Namely me, miss seeing my Grand kids.) So my daughter-in-law came up with a suggestion, and I think it is wonderful idea. She opened up a family Group on yahoo, for all of our family to post letters and pictures so that we can stay in touch. Now I guess my job is getting everyone to participate. That is a tall order if you knew my kids. They are a bit self centered and involved with their own families to the point of excluding the rest of us. I suppose that is to be expected, as a family grows, but it is time to take a step back and remember your roots, your brothers and sister, and your dear old Mom, namely ME. This is the first picture that my daughter-in-law posted, it is a picture of Trevor Junior, it is the spitting imagine of his father Trevor Sr. at the same age, three.

16 comments:

Cindy said...

Keep working on that site- I started one for our extended family and we're up to 12 or more members now. It's not easy, getting them to participate, though, is it?

Neoma said...

HI Cindy, it is harder than pulling teeth. Some people just do not like to write.......my kids use every excuse, but there is no good excuse for not keeping in touch. Someday maybe they will realize that is something that should be done. You only have one family, and you lose them way to soon.

Dr.John said...

Sometimes the effirt to make a good idea work is greater than getting started with the idea. I tried to set up a clearinghouse for the larger extended family but have now given up.

Neoma said...

Hi Dr. John, I guess for me since I am home all day, and writing comes easily, it isn't that much effort to write a quick note and post a picture once a week. But for my kids, they act like it will just kill them. Jennie started this up because she felt awfully left out when she found out that Scott's wife had her baby over a month ago, and no one bothered to call them and let them know. I wrote and sent pictures and talked about the baby, and it was the first they had heard that he was even born. I felt awful, if I had known that Scott wasn't going to call his brothers, I would have done it for him. He just isn't much of a communicator. It is the native American Indian in him, they usually just grunt......haha

Avus said...

I have 3 children (2 of whom blog as you know). But I know more about my daughter's life 9000 miles away than I do about my non-blogger son's, who lives 20 miles up the road (we last spoke in February, for his birthday) - all our kids are different, everyone's!

Akelamalu said...

What a great idea. I hope everyone does their little bit to keep it up to date Nea. x

Neoma said...

Hi Avus, isn't it the truth, kids are all so different. my boys just aren't very good about writing or calling. I usually have to call them, and then they don't really like to talk on the phone. I was thinking about it tonight, and some of it comes from the fact we often don't have a lot in common with our kids. Just because they are our kids doesn't mean they take after us. And my sons aren't gardeners, and they haven't slowed down yet. By the time they do, I suppose I won't be around anymore. So we may never be on the same wave length. I have the closest relationship with my youngest son, but he is a lot like me.

Neoma said...

Hi Akela, I hope so too, mostly for my daughter in laws sake, she was really hurt by being left out of the "loop" when the baby was born. I didn't wait for them to call me, I just called them when it was close to time, I got through about three days before she delivered and I bugged them everyday. Or I probably wouldn't have heard either. He hasn't called his Grandma even now, (my Mother). Which is pretty inexcusable, but, what can I do.

Neoma said...

He chalks it up to the fact, they aren't close. But someone has to make the first step, and we are all alike a bit in that category, we always wait for someone else to make the first move. I remember once, the boys Dad telling me that he always waited for someone to smile and wave at him first, and then he would respond, and I asked him, and if they didn't, he said, we would just walk right past each other without a nod. And that is how some people are, always waiting for the other person to extend the invitation. It is a personality trait, and it is often misunderstood as being mad, or conceited or standoffish. When I think it is actually a lack of self esteem and confidence and the fear of rejection.

lettuce said...

good luck with that Nea, its a great idea - and so important. He's a cutie!


I really feel for you over the water ban. Though this year in london we were all wishing it would stop raining once in a while.
Do you have a rain barrel? I did a post on them (water butts, over here) a while back and was astonished how many americans didn't seem to know what they are!

Lo Kelween said...

you're a grandma? wow...i can't tell at all! :)

well, sometimes when family is away, this will make us treasure them even more often.

a Happy family sticks together forever!

Trevor Jr. is so adorable! :)
have a nice weekend!

Lo Kelween said...

my trial is over now, preparing for the major one in Nov. your daughter loves music? then let her persue her dream! don't follow my footstep--I am an art person but stucked in the science world. you don't know how lost I am.

take care :)

Neoma said...

Hi Lettuce, so far it doesn't seem to be working, my kids don't check their email very often......so weeks will go by and they don't even get an email. It is hard to call they are always gone. Oh well, well tried.

No rain barrels here, I haven't seen one, ever in the US. Oh, they had them back 80 years ago, but not in modern day times. It would take 200 of them to water my yard.......haha I need a good rain. They predicted rain for the last two days, and we didn't get a drop.

Neoma said...

Hi Elween, I had my first child when I was VERY young, haha. And he had his first child when he was very young. Then my second had a son when he was only 17. So I had two grandsons before I was even 40.

Ana loves singing, she is in the High School Broadway Chorus, and she plays keyboard and piano. Nick plays Clarinet and is now taking guitar. We all love music, and I won't discourage them, however, I know they better take business administration or something else as a backup course, so they can make a living.

My kids are approaching semester finals, and then next week they get a week off of school and we are going to drive to Texas to see Scott's new baby boy. He was born Aug. 23.

Lo Kelween said...

that's very interesting! your family is so talented. do they enjoy studying business? otherwise, it won't be a good option for them, like what my parents have chosen... :)

Neoma said...

My Son Trevor, (the father of the boy in the picture that I posted of the three year old) he was an artist. He could draw anything.....but now he is taking business administration. Ana is a singer and piano player but she is going to take business also. It is just the fact that they are being realistic and hoping to take something that they will be able to get a job with. I took Ballet, and I ended up being a banker. It is just hard to ever make a living with the "arts". I know that if Ana thought she could, she would like to sing. But she is being realistic. I don't push her, it is her decision, although she knows that she will have to live at home if she doesn't get a job that will let her live on her own. And she really wants to move out on her own. haha Kids here in the states can hardly wait to move away from ole Mom and dad....