Weekend Gathering

Les Copan and Marian Graham - table set for guests in our backyard

My mother is alone now. She has no siblings left alive -- her remaining elder sister and brother died this year. Both of her husbands are dead. She is actively grieving.
This weekend past one of my mother's elder cousins visited. His daughter and I made special meals (which we ate together as a clan). There were many gracious moments in our backyard, at Mara Lake Provincial Park and under a romantic grape arbor at my cousin's Enderby home.
We took our elders on a horse and buggy ride along beautiful valley bottom fields and close by a meandering river-- terrific. I wish we could have been on the ride all day rather than an hour.
We invited our friends and their families to come along to share evening meals with us.
Multiple generations enjoyed a lovely weekend of evening meals in the Shuswap.
Thank goodness the weather held. It was pleasantly warm most of the weekend. (MInd you, in a normal weather year it would have been hot and sunny).
My cousin, her husband, and my cousin's beautiful daughter along with my cousin's grandson found enjoyable comfort in each other's companionship. We were hopefully making some good memories for my mother and her cousin. Perhaps we eased her grieving just a little bit.