We have had some amazing weather in the Mid-Atlantic during October. This week short sleeves and shorts have been the uniform of the day. Friday was so lovely that we had supper out on the new deck. We just could not bear to go inside.
We even got to catch up with some of our old friends on Saturday, (same venue!) and we all commented how we couldn’t believe our luck, how great it was to be able to visit outside.
Then came Sunday….
We had a family lunch get together scheduled and the forecast looked pretty grim. There was a 60% chance of rain throughout the morning and into the afternoon. The temperature was supposed to be hovering in the low 40’s. Normally we would cancel and reschedule, but since we are looking at the likelihood of all of our holiday celebrations taking place outdoors, I asked the boys and their families if they were up for giving it a try, just to practice. They were all in.
When we woke up to rain pouring down, I must confess that I almost lost heart.
But I was determined to try this idea out before it gets 30 degrees colder. So, my husband helped me set up two large rain fly tents and we moved our large picnic table underneath and attempted to dry out the seats…
I even sent the boys this photo…and they were not deterred!
It rained for most of the time that they were here, but it turns out that kids don’t really mind it at all. They ran around the yard, climbed up into the tree house and had a rousing time despite the cold.
We spread out and ate our (BYO) lunches and enjoyed a drink and some decent conversation. After lunch I brought out a blanket so the kids could construct duplos and Mr. Potato Head toys. The kids are allowed to play together, so the rest of us kept our distance or donned a mask to join in the fun!
The adults talked about how it would go if it were colder and the possibility of adding heaters and another tent to the set up if it should rain over Thanksgiving.
Was it a perfect day? Not by a long shot, but it wasn’t the worst we have been through. We have had plenty of family camping trips that were soggier than our Sunday lunch.
When I was talking it over with the family they agreed that it was much better than not getting to see each other. If we are going to get through this late fall and winter we will need to add layers of clothes and layers of positive thoughts as well.
Instead of bemoaning all that cannot be, I think we need to reimagine what can be. We need to train ourselves to reinvent the way we hang out and connect with each other.
Our experiment on Sunday gave me hope for the holidays. I think we will get to celebrate with each other. It will look like no other Thanksgiving or Christmas that we have ever had. God willing, we will live to reminisce about how we got through all of this, and we will marvel at our resilience!
The Last Lap (and what comes next) 