By Suzanne Sparrow Watson
We Sparrows usually don’t need an excuse to have a party, but on July 11th we had a very special reason to gather – brother Jack’s 85th birthday. Anyone whose family has multiple generations can attest that trying to get everyone together on one day is darn hard, but with just a few exceptions, we were able to gather 34 members of the family to celebrate Jack. People flew in from Texas and Arizona, and drove half the length of California, most able to stay just one night. But they all made the effort and as it turned out, Jack was not the only beneficiary of the party. But more on that later.
We gathered in Bob and Linda’s beautiful, tropical backyard on Saturday afternoon. The kids had a blast swimming and diving into the pool. We watched a couple of them do “cannonballs” and remembered when we could do that. Now…we ease over to the edge of the pool, dip our toe in, and call it a day. Cornhole was also popular among the younger set, while many of us gathered around the televisions to watch the England-Norway FIFA match. Having a naturalized citizen from England in the family definitely led to a British cheering section. Although some of us wanted to do the “the row”, we refrained out of respect.
After the match was (finally) over, we had a fabulous dinner delivered from a local Italian restaurant. Linda and I had gone to Costco the day before and bought extra lasagna, salads and, of course, cake. We were certain that she and Bob would be living off of leftovers for the coming weeks. But clearly, we had forgotten how much young people eat. They descended on the buffet table like a horde of locusts. They scooped up the food as fast as we could put it out. By the end of the night Bob observed that there wasn’t a morsel of food or hardly a drop of liquor left in the house. The Scots in Boston have nothing on us!
After dinner Bob and I presented our birthday program to Jack. We both read tributes that we had written and by the end, there was hardly a dry eye in the place. It’s sobering to review someone’s life but heartening to know that so many people appreciate a life so well lived. After that Bob picked up his guitar and distributed a songbook of Jack’s favorite songs. We were all in different keys and I don’t think we’re going to challenge the Osmond Family anytime soon, but what we may have lacked in tone we made up for in enthusiasm.
After everyone left, Bob, Linda and I marveled at how well the day had gone. But mostly, we were beyond grateful that everyone came together to give Jack such a memorable day. We know that we are lucky to have such a wonderful family, whose members not only get along, but really enjoy spending time together. We laughed so hard and told so many fun stories. Earlier in the evening I had had a conversation with a few members of the next generation, recalling stories about our mom and dad (their grandparents), and it struck me that the generation after them will only know our parents through stories. And in time, the same will hold true for us. But what stories they will have to tell! I have no doubt that as long as Sparrows keep gathering, there will be laughter, and singing, and a deep appreciation for family. So, while this party was a gift for Jack, the memories created will be recalled and cherished by us all.
Some more photos of a great day –
