Larry's Family Reunites July 2019

After my husband Larry Jamison passed away last November, I knew the day would come when his children would want to own some of his personal items as keepsakes. Larry was a "collector" and his collections were well known to his 6 children. I've posted previously, showcasing many of his "collections". So I told his children "You don't have to wait until I die to get possession of some of the things you want that belonged to your dad!" Too often when a step-parent survives a parent, the children are "shut out" and don't inherit things that I believe are rightfully theirs.   

I got busy in the 3 months following Larry's death and cleaned out storage totes, drawers, closets, cabinets, and trunks. I sorted the items I wanted to keep and those that would be available to Larry's descendants and first wife. My youngest step-daughter scheduled a reunion for July 14-20 and we got busy finalizing plans. 

Here's the proof of our recent reunion.

 5 of our families enjoyed July 14 at the Renaissance Festival in Larkspur, CO.

This sunroom spans the front of my house. 

My kids put tables up the length of the room on which we  could display the items that were available to them. 

Daughters Becky, Rachael, and Ruthie took great care in displaying the items that had been packed away for so many years. Doing this gave them a couple of hours during which they could reminisce about the history of the item and its connection to their childhood!

On Thursday afternoon, the family gathered at my house to choose their treasures. They also received a few items they hadn't anticipated. 

The picture below shows a tote full of old family Bibles that dated back to 1852 that were distributed among the 6 children. Yes, a few tears were shed at this point. (And no, they won't be permanently stored in the plastic bags.)

By the end of the afternoon, it was time for a barbecue. I'm grateful to my son Matt Klein and son-in-law Dave Newman for manning the grill.

Fun with family on the patio.

I can speak for the rest of my family in saying we were very grateful that most of our family was able to gather this week to honor Larry C. Jamison, to enjoy each other's company, and make more memories that we can talk about at our future reunions!