Well, as if I needed another reminder of how quickly our lives move along their individual paths, I’m have a family reunion with my immediate family this week…doesn’t sound that impressive, I know, but my brother, sister, Mom and I have not all been together since my wedding–almost 40 years ago.  No bad blood or anything, just spread out all across the country from Hawaii to Maryland, Ohio to California.

So, it’s a big deal for us and a big deal for Mom.  Mom is 85 and had a minor stroke last year and is currently unable to travel to see all of us as she used to do once every year or so.  It’s pretty amazing after all this time to get to spend these days together.  So, I wanted to make a couple of observations:

1)  Keep in touch.  I have to confess this is not something I’ve been good about at all.  Most of my news and updates about my siblings came from my mom over the years and I didn’t speak to them for long periods of time.  We weren’t upset with each other, just chose different paths, coming of age in the late 1960’s to early ’70’s.  As you may know, that was a time of upheaval among young people and it impacted each of us differently.  I won’t go into any particulars, just say that by the time all of us had settled into our adult lives, several years had passed without any consistent contact and that seemed to set the pattern for the next few decades.  I have regrets about those missed years.

2)  It’s never too late.  If you’ve had family or friend relationships that you’ve neglected, start now.  Pick up the phone, send an email…don’t wait until one of you experiences a traumatic event to get on the right page.  Don’t let your past relationship affect the quality of your future one. Tell the people you care about that you love them.  What matters now is what will be.  Don’t just think about getting reconnected–DO IT.

My Mom is so happy…and so am I.