Happy New Year!
Wow... it doesn't seem possible that we have bid adieu to 2022. It certainly merits a reflection on the events and challenges of a year where we continued to reintroduce ourselves..albeit slowly... to our lives as we knew them.
Speaking of reflections, there are two family events that come to mind for me.. a wedding and a birthday party.. both particularly interesting and thought provoking because they were.... Unplugged!
The first event was my nephew's wedding...,(it actually was postponed until September 2021), and it's included in my reflection for 2022, as both family events bookended each other.
My nephew and his fiance were married in Killington, Vermont - it was nothing short of idyllic. A beautiful lodge located at the foothills of a green mass of forest reaching to the sky. We all settled in and made ourselves right at home, where we would spend the whole weekend!
We headed right for the great room which was simple and rustic... picnic tables and cozy chairs and couches... and a fireplace flanked by two huge picture windows ..
The chatter, hugs, laughter and food brought us all together on this Friday night for an intro to the much-awaited wedding on Saturday.
As we made our way to the line leading to an array of delicious food, we continued our incessant talking with family and new friends. We navigated our way towards the door to the porch and eventually on the lush lawn for games and s'mores in front of a robust fire.
Amid all the bustle and mingling, a huge poster propped up by the fireplace caught my eye. What was this? It was a beautifully written plea to please not use our phones.
At first it surprised me - never before had such a request met my eyes, nor my imagination. I wondered if this was at all possible!
My nephew and his bride to be are young... and they have a large circle of friends and family who formed tight circles all over the room, porch and lawn - and never did I see a phone! It was really happening. But would it last through the whole weekend? The wedding?
Without any discussion, it indeed happened. The delight of convivial conversation, spontaneous hugs and wafts of laughter continued all evening, at the lovely wedding and the lively reception.
As the evening came to an end and we made our way back to the lodge, one thing was for sure - it certainly looked as if we didn't miss them after all.
The second event was my Mother's 100th birthday in September 2022. And what a glorious celebration it was! Family, friends and neighbors flooded in and headed to a huge huddle in the living room of the Colonial home where she has lived for more than 60 years!
Unlike the wedding, there was no official notice of phone use, but the birthday was beaming with such a flurry of good wishes and excitement, that the requests for the usual group poses were - we might say - on mute.
This continued seamlessly for the whole day while we were passed scrumptious hors d'oeuvres and invited to a beautifully catered buffet.
The party moved outdoors to the large backyard where all the great grandchildren were squealing and running deep into the woods...Chocolate cake - her favorite - was served and memorable and meaningful gifts were opened.
Immediately - and out of the blue! - the grandchildren and great grandchildren broke into a Broadway showtime production of her life! Incorporated was dancing, singing and a very poignant timeline. We were entertained beyond our expectations.
The surprise of it all was spellbinding - it even included an impersonation of Elvis - a real show stopper!
As the party came to an end, we agreed that the entertainment was priceless and so were the expressions on our faces.
Well, there you have it! This is not to say there weren't professional photographers who came later to get the usual poses - and this is in no way a disparaging treatise on social media - but the candid moments we shared, uninterrupted, I know will stay on our minds for a very long time.