Olivia, our oldest granddaughter, face-timed with us a couple of weeks ago. They’d been spending time out in California with Elizabeth’s family. Their weeks are full and rich, replete with water skiing, boating, visiting with dozens of cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents. There is also a family reunion weekend  of her mother’s side of the family at a beautiful retreat house in Healdsburg, CA. Relatives come from Hawaii, Oregon and from all points in California. They have been meeting for decades, a perpetual bequest from a beloved uncle.

Olivia was bursting with excitement to show me the whole scene.  “Look, Aviva!” she called out running with the phone.  “This is the orchard. We picked plums and peaches and apples. We made a fruit salad for dinner. And here is where we eat! And this is the pool!” She stopped for a few moments to introduce me to some of her cousins. During the weekend they gather to share family stories and history. There are albums and scrapbooks recording the family’s role in the Korean independence movement. Theirs is a story of great triumph and tragedy.

It was a delight to share in Olivia’s joy, to see this bit of her world as it expands around her and she within it.  One summer at a time, this haven is being woven into her soul, replete with memories and the centering that comes from experiencing her place within the generations. That she wanted to show me her summer world thrilled me. Olivia might have been three thousand miles away, but it moved me deeply to realize she carries me within her heart no matter where she goes.

photo courtesy of Suttons, Devon, UK