Memories Keep Forever

We had a very full weekend and even then we had to pick and choose because there was more going on than we had time to do. This morning I feel like I have jet lag although we were just circling all weekend.

The biggest event was the Berean Meetings which begins on Thursday evening and runs through Sunday evening. This was the 32nd annual event held at the United Zion Campground. We have a 45-minute drive but we always come home for the night. I would rather drive back and forth because I just sleep better in my own bed.
The weather this year was some of the nicest we've ever had for the camp meeting. The heat seems to be trapped in the south this year. Our air keeps circulating down from the north and Canada is providing natural air conditioning for the whole northeast this summer. It was actually kind of cool under those trees at the campground this year and I wished for a sweater a couple times.

We skipped some sessions this year to do other things. On Saturday evening we met my siblings and some of the next generation for a little tour our old home place. The town has gradually grown out and surrounded the place since my parents sold it in 1967. Now it has also fallen into the hands of developers. The buildings will begin to be torn down today so this was our last chance to go see the place and relive some memories.

The house was built in 1900 and doesn't look like it did when we lived here, but in my memory I can picture it exactly as it used to be. I was born in this house and lived here until just four months before I was married.

The house and barn were white when we lived here.

This is the barn hill where we sat to watch the fireworks in the summer and went sledding in the winter. It is not as steep as I thought it was back then.

Another extracurricular activity this weekend was the Little Burkholder reunion. Since both of my parents were Burkholders and Daddy's family was much larger than Mom's, we distinguished between the two reunions by calling them the Big and Little Burkholder reunions. Mom's sister, Nora, is my only living aunt. She is 95 and was there as always. Every year I think it might be the last year and the next year she is there again. I had ten cousins on this Burkholder side but only eight of them are still living. (Add five of us in my family to make a total of fifteen cousisn on this side.) Not all of the cousins were at the reunion but we took a picture of those who were there with Aunt Nora.

The cousin in the pink dress was only six years younger than my mother. She and her husband lived in half of our house when they were first married and then built a house on a lot Daddy sold to them. We were back and forth a lot and my youngest brother and sister played with her children. We always have a good time sharing memories of those years. Time marches on and things change but memories keep forever.