Family Reunion, continued

Before I continue with reunion memories, I want to share some thoughts about a family member who has not been at any of our four family reunions, our nephew Thomas Alan Erickson, or Tommy as he was always known.  Twenty-five years ago today we got a dreaded  phone call at five o'clock in the morning telling us that our eldest nephew had been killed just nine days after his 18th birthday. His truck had rolled on a country road and he had been thrown out.

 What I remember most about that morning is having to break that news to fifteen year old Clare.  His plans that day were to go to Swift Current with Howard's cousin, Clint and Muriel Pederson.  Tommy was going to meet him there and they would spend the weekend together in Frontier.  Now, instead of spending a fun weekend with Tommy, we were making plans to travel there for his funeral.

Family reunions remind me that we didn't just lose one person in that tragic accident.  We also lost the family that he might have had.  The eleven other Erickson cousins have all married and ten of them have children, for a grand total of twenty-six grandchildren (so far!) for my two brothers, my sister and myself.

Our parents, Milford and Hulda Erickson, did not live to see any of these great grandchildren.  But the twelve grandchildren were very loved and have precious memories, as well as special keepsakes that grandma made for them.  At the reunion Mandy showed us a shadow box that she had made.  She had planned to put it in the silent auction, but in the end, couldn't part with it.  The background was burlap type fabric that Grandma had used to make twelve Christmas stockings.  There was a picture of her with all the stockings in a row, her embroidery scissors,  thimble and two small samples of the cross-stitch pictures that are on the stockings.  Each child's stocking has their name at the top with the Norwegian "God Jul" at the bottom of the stocking. This translates to "Good Christmas" or "Merry Christmas" as we would say.  I should have taken a picture of this special shadow box.  I'll get Mandy to send me one when they are home from holidays.

The stockings are still in use and we have added new ones as additions have arrived in the family.  Tommy's stocking now has his nephew Draven's name on it.  The other stockings have made their way to Lacombe, AB, Saskatoon, Birch Hills, Moose Jaw, Frontier, Shaunavon and Torquay.  Our family stockings stay here and are hung by the fireplace each Christmas.

We all plan to attend the next Erickson reunion in 2012 but we have Tommy's death at 18 and Mom's at 65 to remind us that not all of us are likely to make the three score years and ten that the Psalmist talks about.  Each day is a gift to be treasured.  The days at Cypress were a "mountaintop experience" but life can't be always lived on the mountain, especially when you live on the prairies!  Sometimes we are down in the valley and hopefully, mostly on the plain.  Whatever we go through in life, it's great to have a family that loves and supports us through thick and through thin.  Even better, to also have a heavenly Father who is there to lead us and guide us when no one else is around or knows what we are going through.

Well, that's where today's blog has ended up.  Tomorrow I have to be in Weyburn at 9:00 am for my yearly medical so I'll update with more reunion pictures later tomorrow.