Nurturing Family Connections
My older brother, Bill Wood, tragically died in 2008. His son and daughter are now in their mid-40s. Chuck, who closely resembles his grandfather Donald, and wife Jeanie had three boys and a girl. Mimi, who looks so like her dad and Grandma Mary Ann Wood, had two girls. Each year the Wood family gathers together for food and fun, but the few hours together prevents deeper connections. So I enjoy visiting them as often as possible each year. Recently I spent time with Mimi's girls, Ada and Chelsea. My main reason is to foster in each one the adventurous and fun-loving Wood traits of my father and the creative and commonsense traits of my mom. My personal philosophy is that each of us needs to reach out to family members not closely connected and relate stories that both entertain, but also to inspire and enlighten. All the grandnieces and grandnephews love hearing the stories, such as: How desperately poor Mom…
