Cousins Dancing

We returned tonight from a wedding of our niece out East in the Boston area. Pat’s family is, for the most part, still living around the small town she grew up in at Ashland, MA. When our children were young and when our grandchildren were young we used to visit regularly. Now for the most part it is for funerals and weddings.

This visit was for the joyful occasion of a wedding, the second daughter of Pat’s younger brother who died from a heart attack at 39. This wedding was different, held in a converted armory with no traditional wedding cake. But it was full of great joy and lots of dancing.

Pat’s nephew’s son, Matthew, and I become great friends as happens when we visit each other, which has not been too often. He is alive and full of imagination, something that I find delightful and can relate to. Our other grand niece and nephew are now older in high school and college but retain some of the imagination of younger days. It was fun to watch my grandniece, 19, dance with my grandnephew, 5, dance after dance.

Slow dances are gone and I do not dance fast. Pat used to but with bad knees has taken her to watching. There is something about dancing that is like poetry in action. Dancing is something a young child, a teen and a grandmother can all share, sometimes dancing together. I do not have much sense of rhythm be it in music or dance. I am not sure why since my imagination likes dancing and singing.

Being around Matthew this weekend and all the young adults lifted my spirits. Outside of eating, talking and partying and watching some TV, we did not do much this weekend. That is okay since doing too much can stifle the imagination. Imagination comes from being not doing.

Jesus said that unless you become like a child you cannot enter heaven. With the visit of my godson, 5, his big brother, 6, the week before and with Matthew, 5, this last weekend I certainly understand what he is talking about. To find silly in a small event, like a young child or an old man can do, gives imagination a free reign.

Comments

Please send any comments on this post to . Let us know which day’s post your comments pertain to. If the comments are appropriate we will post them here for you.