Celebration of Family Week

Thursday, July 7, 2005

There is no way to cram more into a holiday weekend than we just did over the Fourth of July. Each of our activities concerned close relatives and at the time I am writing this essay, we are all still on speaking terms and hopefully enjoying each other.

The first event was a day trip to a Bluegrass Festival at Starvy Creek near Conway, Mo. My nephew, Tom Gray, was playing his unique style of bass with Eddie and Martha Adcock. It was a thrill to hear the audience's reaction to his playing and share this experience with my sister and niece who had also come to hear him play. (Actually Tom and his wife, Sally, stayed at my sister's home in Lebanon for this festival.) Bluegrass is not my favorite form of music. But the fun of the open-air festival, the crowds of friendly people, the hundreds of recreational vehicles lined up, and the constant sound of music ringing over the tantalizing odor of funnel cakes can make it special.

When we arrived back home our son's family had already arrived from Pennsylvania to begin a birthday work project that all our children and grandchildren were organizing to celebrate my 80th birthday. They chose the Fourth of July weekend to get started on enlarging and upgrading our much-used deck between the house and the pond. When they celebrated Lester's 80th with a wonderful party in the church, I had a ball. But I told them not to do that for me-just come clean my house or something! They took me at my word and at this very moment I can still hear the saws and hammers from the front while I sneak in to write.

(Actually I think the house may be getting a little dirtier because of 22 people working, playing, sleeping, eating and visiting in and out of the house over the long weekend.) Since all our kids and several of our grand and great grand kids were going to be here in Missouri from far away spots, we thought it was a good time to have a gathering of Lester's family down near Forsyth. We don't get together with them as often as we should, but all agreed we needed to have a day together with them also. So our group took off in four vehicles early Sunday morning and met Lester's brothers' and sister's families in an air-conditioned hall near Kissee Mills. Hundreds of pictures were taken, genealogical information shared, old pictures viewed and much food eaten with about 33 Thorntons. Most of them lived fairly near the meeting place but one family came from Kansas City. Our crew with three from Texas and three from Pennsylvania got the travel honors however.

On the fourth itself, I was treated to a meal cooked by my grandson and daughter-in-law at our family home before they had a fun-filled roast. I was the topic of that roast and was even given a crown and scepter to keep the crowd in control. Fireworks ended the evening and we had the extra fun of having two nearby neighbors shooting their displays at the same time as ours so we could ooh and aah every minute in one direction or another.

When the fireworks were over we noticed the best display of all-thousands of lightning bugs were celebrating over a field west of the house and the stars were equally bright.

What an ending for a great day and for 80 years of being blessed with family love!