Very soon, the greatest weekend that I've had in a long time is going to occur.
A very special family gathering. I really hate to call it a 'reunion' because, it's not like we haven't seen each other in a long time. The idea originally started this past winter when I realized that it will have been 20 years since the passing of my Uncle Pete in July of 2009. 1989 was one of the hardest years of my life for many reasons. I was challenged. But, I wasn't alone...that year proved to be trying on everyone around me.

20 years has passed and my family is still my family. That's probably the only thing that hasn't changed. I wouldn't want it any other way. All of us have been through so much...children being born, marriages, divorces, illness, and death. You know? Life. I'm thankful for each and every one of them...Grandparents,Parents, Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, Inlaws, babies...the family grows and grows.

I've had to reflect on my life that's passed over the 20 years gone by. I've been thinking about what I wanted out of life then as compared to now. It seems as though I've done things backwards. Back then I wanted to slow down. Now, I can't get enough out of life! I'm watching my oldest child enter the same stage of life that I was in at that time. What an incredible thing to witness...a child go from a crying helpless baby into a man.

My wants and needs have changed but I do know that instead of running from my home, I find myself running back as much as I possibly can...and it's never enough! From now on, I'm not going to 'stop to smell the roses'...I'm going to stop to smell the tortillas!

Shawn Bars