These days, I don't see my Aunt Karen as much as I used to. There was a time however, before my cousins and I graduated from high school and what not, that we used to see each other a number of times a year. This started from the time before I even remember we used to see each other, those memories now frozen in picture albums that get pulled out every so often to see what life used to be like. Perhaps the best way now I can look at my Aunt, besides the memories of my childhood, is to look at the way her daughters, my cousins, have grown up into amazing women. That alone is testament to her integrity as a parent and her endless love that her daughters received from her, and that, I must say, I received as well when we spent time together. Its funny, looking back, how life often times seems so much easier when children are younger, especially when it comes to spending time with cousins and family. While there were always stresses; when we grew up, got involved in high school, college, and beyond, eventually creating our own families, time seemed to not allow us to gather as often, to spend time together, or to simply enjoy each other's company. I must say that I believe the whole reason our families were so close was because my dad and aunt, also cousins, were close as they grew up and shared many memories of their times together. It was their desire to see their families remain close that allowed my cousins, myself and my brother, to spend as much time as we did together when we were younger. Whenever we would gather, what I remember most were and are the stories of camping B.C. or (before children) and then the stories A.C.
The camping that my dad and my aunt did with their spouses carried over when they both had children and continued on for many years after that. Every year our families used to gather together for a camping excursion, usually a week, somewhere within driving distance. The farthest I think we ventured was either Virginia or Ohio, and I am not going to at this point figure out the distances and let you know which one was farther. There was a week in Maine in which it rained pretty much the entire week, our families drenched for the entire time. It didn't hamper the good times however, and it was just another story for us to tell the next time we went camping. Of course we tried to plan for good weather, but that is always a crap shoot as anyone who has done camping knows. With the experience behind my Aunt and my dad we were pretty much prepared for anything. Except of course trouble with cars. As we grew older, our families decided to get CB radios (before the era of cell phones) so we could communicate between cars while on the road to one of our camping destinations. On our way to Virginia, it was a good thing we had them because at one point, about half way down, my Aunt's vehicle decided to have engine trouble. As we pulled both cars off the side of the road, hers unable to be driven yet packed full of camping gear, we had to somehow pack our car full of their supplies along with their family and at least make it to the auto mechanics where the car was towed. It was a sight to be seen if ever there was one. There was luggage strapped to the roof, a green tractor for my brother strapped to our trunk, and both of our families somehow shoved inside an '87 Chevy Caprice. To top it off, the mechanics name was Hap Cup. That's all I will say on that.
Our families gathered last summer, beyond a celebration of one thing or another, for a pool party at my parents house. We got almost all of our family there, I believe my cousin Amy's husband and one of her sons being the only ones absent. That is perhaps one of the biggest impediments these days to all of us gathering, our new families, crazy schedules, and figuring out when we could all actually take a day or two to travel and see each other. I only hope we can continue to do this at least once a year. Those memories of camping with my Aunt and cousins will last a lifetime and I only hope we can one day continue the camping tradition amongst my cousins' families and ours. Without my Aunt, my Dad, and their camping days together, their closeness of families, we probably wouldn't have gotten to know each other as well as we did. For all the cousins that my dad has, my Aunt Karen is the one that I know best. I know its been tough, especially recently, as her dad passed a few years ago, and her mother now struggling with her own health problems, yet she continues to be there for them, and also for her daughters. To see her devote as much as she does to her family is to see the strength of our families carried down through the generations. I have heard of too many families who abandon their loved ones when it gets tough, but she has dug in deeper and remained steadfast in her support of them. So for easier times ahead, and more memories still to be made between our families, I pay tribute to my Aunt, a loving person, devoted mother, wife, and daughter, and a true inspiration for all those who meet her. Cheers!
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