Every other year, the Nelson side of our family gathers for a week together, usually at a lake somewhere between Omaha and Chagrin Falls, where the Ohio Nelsons live.
This year we planned to travel to a beautiful cabin in Table Rock Missouri. I did not know until the week before if I would be able to fit the trip between medical appointments and surgery or if I would be strong enough for the car trip. I did, and I was.
This was the best week of the entire summer and some of the best family time of my life.
After so much health worry and uncertainty, staring out towards the lake from the deck was the absolute opposite of the summer thus far.
I was too weak to do more than sit, but truth be told, my entire vacation goal no matter my energy level is always to sit and take in the family time and surroundings. I absolutely kicked butt at reaching my goal this vacation! I did better at relaxing than any other vacation before!
After all the medical and other turmoil and stress we ALL had been through lately, I was an absolute sponge absorbing the time with my brothers, their kids and ours, Mom, Dad and Russ. And the geese.
Cara was not able to come which made us all sad, but we did agree to bump the trips from every other year to every year so hopefully we can all be together in 2024.
Russ planned the menu. Our kids helped carry out the meal plan. Arthur and I honed our eye shadow application techniques. The kids shopped. Bill revealed he had learned to play ukulele over the past year! He is super good at it.
We celebrated Father’s Day and Dad’s birthday. Abby had all the kids paint rocks for Dad.
We rode in the boat every day and sat by the campfire every night. Perfect.
One afternoon, I was sitting on the deck with Olive, Robert and Arthur. Olive asked me to open her bottle of tea. I tried and could not. I passed it to Robert who opened it with ease. Arthur said in a gentle reprimanding voice, “Aunt Shawn, you are older than us. You really should have been able to open that.”
I said, “I know, but I am pretty sick. I will be ok, but right now I need help with a lot of things.”
I asked Olive how her tea was. She said, “Not as good as if you had opened it.” It is one of my best memories from the week! I love those kids - all those kids - so much!
The week was so healing and such a great time with our family.
I came home the week of surgery ready to start putting all these health struggles behind me.
