Ruth and I will be celebrating our fiftieth wedding anniversary with our family over Labor Day week-end. If you’re an avid reader, you know we eloped to Las Vegas on September 11, 1971. We’ve rented a home in Boyne City on Lake Charlevoix. It sleeps twenty-two. Our three kids and their families will be with us the first two days, and we invited our sisters and their children to join us for days three and four. We’ve been planning this for over a year.
We’ve held similar gatherings with our children and their families. In the past we shared the cost. This time we’re carrying the load. During our other gatherings we’ve conducted presentations. Once in Myrtle Beach we held a family talent show and a synchronized swimming competition. Think Weeki Wachee. The synchronized swim featured three acts. One was put on by the girls of the group, a second by their male counterparts, and the third featured Ruth and I along with Ruth’s sister and her husband. One evening we had a family talent show. Everyone was encouraged to participate, but some were more involved than others.
On a trip to Hamilton, Montana about eight years ago, we put on our own version of the Olympics with a western flair. We had an egg toss, water balloon fight, held a badminton tournament, rope swing competition, threw horseshoes, and went on a family trail ride. One evening we sang songs, told ghost stories, and family style jokes around a campfire. We were cowboys and cowgirls.
During a trip to Palm Springs, we held a lip-sync contest. Ruth and I did our best version of Sonny and Cher. We attempted to capture our life during our then forty plus years together. I’ve included the video that accompanied our song. It’s a bit dated, but you’ll get a feel for how the evening went.
I’ve required everyone who’s coming to our anniversary party to take part in a family talent show. This will be our largest group ever. We haven’t all been together since 2014. The addition of our sisters, nieces, and nephew, Marco, should make for a good time. I provided everyone over a year to come up with a plan. Some were quick to respond, while others have been reluctant. Some of the slow responders are hesitant to step out in front of a crowd to strut their stuff. They have stage fright or some other form of hesitation. In some cases, it’s a lack of confidence. That’s particularly true for some of the youngest members of the family. I understand their hesitation, but believe it will be good for everyone. We’re just trying to have a good time and include everyone in our celebration.
It should be fun and worth the risk.