Family Reflections

Whose party is it, anyway?

Whose party is it, anyway?

On July14th, our 21-year-old daughter Lucy married Michael Duchesne. We had a wedding reception here in our backyard, with more than 200 people attending. 

It’s been an emotional time for me. Lucy is the second to the youngest, and I’ve never had a wedding for a daughter before. I felt, as we began the process of preparations, completely confused about what my role should be. 

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Everything has Changed

Everything has Changed

When my son and daughter-in-law announced that they were expecting, I cried tears of joy. It was as if, after 18 years away from babies, I had begun to think of life as being about ending things: no more big dinners every night around a full table, no more soccer games, no more family prayers. So much of having adult children is fun, rewarding, and exciting, with all their adventures and achievements. But there is also a bittersweet nostalgia in this chapter of life.   

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The Blessing of Solitude

The Blessing of Solitude

Family Reflections | By Patti Defilippis

I don’t like to be alone.  Leonardo’s been on tour the last week, and I have been spending my evenings in our big empty house.  I intend to read, to knit, and to clean.   

But instead I watch TV.   

It’s a temporary situation, but there is a an emptiness in my heart when he is gone.  Which makes me think, morbid or not, of what it would be like if he were really gone, and I were truly on my own.  So many people, so many of you are, I know.   How do you do it?   

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Hope for the Future

Hope for the Future

Family Reflections by Patti Defilippis

This summer, life’s resilience was brought home to me so poignantly. I am just amazed at how young people give us hope for the future. 

Weddings are happening even in church parking lots with only 50 people attending. Babies are being born in hospitals where no one can visit, and where mothers are pretested for COVID.

In our own family, two grandchildren blessed us with a visit. Another one (a boy!) is on the way. We were surprised (sort of!) by two of our kids’ engagements in one joyous weekend. 

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