As I have
previously mentioned, hubs and I want to present a different
view of our lake home. To make it more
open to family and friends, to have more gatherings here, to give people more
opportunity to spend time here, on this wonderful piece of property. It’s been a full summer and we have enjoyed
every minute of having both a big gathering or a small get-together, both planned weeks in advance or a last-minute-cause-its-beautiful-out.
The chili party
started several years ago and is a “family only” party (and let me tell you, we are a very inclusive group and this is HARD) for a couple different
reasons ~ the first, that we can never count on the weather so it had to be kept
down to just family in case we were indoors.
We’ve had an equal number of really beautiful days and seriously rainy
and cold days. This year was rainy and
cold. Second, and this remains true, my kids are all a distance ~ the chili
party is an opportunity to have a gathering when they spend time with their
family, without a theme or parade. My
kids are the only ones that are out of town, you see. If there isn’t a gathering, they may never
see their cousins or aunts and uncles.
Oh, there’s holidays, sure, but those are busy times, and they can’t
always make them or there’s a million things to do. The chili party, gathering just our family,
allows my kids to connect with their family and their family with them. Selfish, yes, I know.
The Chili
Party is a bit of a tradition now, deserving of capitalization. Everyone tries to make it and my kids love
being here with their family. It focuses
us on each other, conversations are between cousins who may not have had time
to sit down on the 4th of July, or Labor Day, and talk one on
one. Family secrets and successes are
revealed, laughter is shared, little kids get to know one another as family. Gathering around a fire is always magic, life changing my daughter says. I love the Chili Party, I really do, for all
the selfish reasons and the not so selfish ones, too.
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