Happy Twice

My great grandfather had...hmm...I think about 8 kids. His daughter was married and had a whole bunch of her own kids. Sometimes she would bring her kids to visit him. I'm sure there was quite a houseful, with many mouths to feed. When she would prepare to go home, my great grandfather would say, "May, you made me happy twice; when you came, and now that you are going."

Now I have brought three of my children to visit my parents. My three brothers and two sisters have also come and have brought a sloughful of their own children. I think at one point I counted 42 people here in their house. That may sound like alot, but trust me, it's more than you think when you are in a little two bedroom house with 1 1/2 bathrooms. In fact, today my husband and I took a drive to a neighboring town. We needed to find a bathroom, so decided to stop at a rest stop. It's pretty bad when you go to a rest stop and it feels like such a luxury to have a bathroom all to yourself for as long as you want. :)

I really enjoy visiting with my family. I am always shocked to see how many mannerisms I have acquired from them, and how I even sound like them. Having lived together, we have the same sense of humor (um....actually that might have been genetically passed down), and we all speak the same language.

I know my family enjoys these visits too. All year we look forward to this time together. We all plan what we will do when we get together. I know my parents look forward to it too, but quite frankly, I think as the last child drives away from the house, my parents turn to each other and say, "They've made us happy twice."