Family First

As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that
the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.

John F Kennedy

"My mom and dad met and started dating in the 10th grade. They married at the age of 21 and have spent the next 59 years together. They are a picture of true love. We were raised learning the importance of family, something even our own children truly understand. Family first. There weren’t holidays or family parties where we were forced to go, or reluctantly attended…. It was and always will be something to look forward to- being with each other. Mom loved to cook and her homemade mashed potatoes were the highlight of our holiday meals. Last year before she had a computer, she hand-typed on a typewriter a family recipe book of all the recipes she makes that weren’t written down anywhere. She gave the book to each one of us, a gift to pass down through the generations.

Mom also loved to travel. She told me last week that her favorite vacation was Hawaii but she really loved the month long trip driving across the USA with my dad for their 50th wedding anniversary. When we were growing up we went on a family vacation every year. We didn’t have a lot of money, but if my mom had a choice of getting new carpets or going to Va. Beach, we knew she would choose to be away with all of us. She instilled that travel bug in every one of us, and to this day we still plan family vacations for all 30 of us!"