Time for Family

Today was a magical if amazingly hot day! I set off early for Clevedon to meet my family, daughter, Leah and her husband, Tony, my son Grant with his son Mitchell (the coolest seven year old grandson a Nana could have) and my youngest son Kent and his lovely partner, Tina.


We had decided to meet halfway as they live in various parts of Auckland however it still took me nearly two hours but the countryside was beautiful, the run up good and the trip was well worth it because nothing beats time with those we love the most.


We have always made it an important part of being a family that we need to have time-out together no matter how busy we all are or how far apart we are. However with my eldest son, Marc and his wife Donna living in England now, our family time is now on Skype, on the phone or via email of course.


Celebrating with my family has always been important for me be it a birthday, anniversary or one of the many passage-of-life moments in our lives. It was an integral part of my childhood and I have passed on to my children the importance of those rituals, celebrations and traditions, as they have to theirs.


I always think it rather sad when people, especially as they start to get to the more mature stage of life, say "Oh I don't celebrate birthdays. I don't want to remind myself that I'm getting older each year and I certainly don't want others to know how old I am!" 


From the moment we are born we are ageing. Like death and taxes we can't avoid it. So that's why we should celebrate such passages of life. Making time for those you love is the most precious gift you can give them.  No amount of money can replace spending time with those you love be it each other if you have someone special in your life, your children or the older members of your family. Our family holiday this year was one to remember and the what fun everyone had spending hours fishing and looking for eels. Priceless memories to treasure.

Simple joys are the best

Such times are when the stories are told, traditions shared or made, wisdom given and received and where love is shown in so many different ways. I have learned so much from both my children and my grandchildren and hope to continue learning from them until my days on earth come to a close.


Having an insatiable love of history, I'm reading a book at the moment called 'In Search of the Dark Ages' by Michael Wood and in it I found this quote by Alfred the Great (the one who burnt the cakes) and it echoed my feelings about what I hope to leave behind.


'But every natural gift and every capacity in us grows old and is forgotten if wisdom is not in it. Without wisdom no faculty can be fully brought out, for any thing done unwisely cannot be counted as skill. To be brief, I may say that it has always been my wish to live honourably, and after my death to leave to those who come after me my memory in good works.'


As families we may not always understand each other or at times, even like one another, but we are bound by blood, by kinship and by love. So I hold dear the philosophy, especially in this ever-fractured and nuclear society that we live in today, that making time for family and for each other is extremely important. 


When I hear that little voice inside saying 'why not give so and so a call' or someone comes into my mind that I haven't seen for a while I know I need to contact them. It's all a matter of making time. And don't leave getting together for when you all meet at a family funeral - make the time to get together when everyone is still alive!