Family

I usually end my blog on Friday but I'll be pretty busy tomorrow and I may not have time to post. I'm so excited because we're having The Parris Family Reunion!! This is my Mom's family. Margaret Elizabeth Parris was born on July 5, 1934 to Alex and Ruby Harrison Parris. My Mama had (3) older brothers and (1) younger. Her brother Ralph died when I was 4 years old (1958). He and his wife Doris have two sons..., David and Steve. You may remember David from an earlier blog. He's the oldest Parris cousin and he's the one who tries to keep me in line. Next is H.L. "Charley" Parris (wife Ann). He passed away in 1996. His children are..., Nina, Frank, Tim and H.L. Jr. Her next brother was Alex Jr. He died before my Mom was ever born. I've seen pictures and he was a cutie. Next in line is my Mom..., Maggie. She and my Dad (Johnny) were blessed with (3) children, Megie, Cookie and Mark. My Mom's youngest brother was Dean Parris ( another Ann). He passed away in 1991. His children are Larry, Mike and Libby. I remember when I was a little girl and we would get together at Nannie and Papa's for Thanksgiving. All of the aunts and uncles and cousins would get together and eat and laugh and play and of course fight. Steve and I always fought. I remember listening to the grown-ups talk about "the good old days." Those times were fun. They were safe and comforting. My kids..., like most kids today..., don't enjoy family reunions. They don't realize that through these family gatherings you learn who you are and where you came from and what makes you who you are. Family is a sense of belonging. There's love and caring and acceptance. On Saturday, those of us who will be there will remember fondly our loved ones who are no longer with us. We'll talk about the funny things Papa would say or Nannie's sweet smile. We'll laugh about the time we had to help bottle feed Papa's baby goats (kids) or the time the rooster flogged my Mama when she ran up the back steps. How about Nannie's fresh cut corn and her fried okra? How we sat on the back steps and helped her shuck and silk corn and cut up the okra. Food even tasted better at Nannie and Papa's. The smell of Papa's cigar and Nannie's Jergens lotion as we rocked on the front porch after having a big ol bowl of vanilla ice cream. Family..., strong and grounded. Standing proud. Ties that bind us to one another in sweet and lasting memories.