The highlight of the first part of our journey this year is our visit with our oldest child and his family of three in San Antonio. It has been four years since we have been together, and although F/B and phone keeps us in close touch, there's nothing like the actual thing. David (the III - twenty now,) and David (Jr) and Yvonne make a close and happy family, and a real joy to visit.
Yvonne is a San Antonio native, and they have lived here for over twenty years. They are part of a close extended "familia" with parents and four sisters, which makes for aunts and uncles and nieces and nephews and cousins galore. Our visit was touched by a terrible family tragedy which happened only six weeks before. Yvonne's kid brother, a veteran of two tours in Iraq, and one in Afghanistan, and the future patriarch of the family, became another of our brave soldiers unable to cope with the memories of combat. D3 considered his uncle Paul his hero and role model, and now wears Paul's dog tags.
Getting time together can be a problem, since all three work, D3 sometimes till 11PM, Yvonne on an 8 - 5 schedule, and David working four 14-hour nights as a shift manager followed by four days off. For us, it just complicates a one-week visit. For them, it's a fulltime challenge till David moves to days next February (or sooner if Walmart promotes him to store manager.) But we managed very well, getting quality time with all three - even D3's girlfriend.
Till next time. We might even get them out to SoCal next year.
No comments:
Post a Comment