Today  I woke up with another realization that I am quickly becoming “the old generation”. It’s the first weekend in May that defined so many of my little families traditions.  My daughter and son in law are busy preparing their home and farm for a family reunion and Her Gatherin’ later this afternoon.  It was so important to this daughter that she insisted that she marry her high school sweetheart on the first weekend of May 2016.  She walked through the fire and celebrated her vows and the light half of the year.  On the 7th of May she will celebrate two years of marriage, so it’s appropriate that she is the keeper of this flame.  We have spent literally weeks preparing for this party.  I didn’t realize all of the emotion that would flood my memories.  And….it’s time for me to pass it on.  I have done my Gatherins.  Now it is time to for me to just attend, I think….

I think it’s funny how you are raised in your clan and you all experience the same traditions, but for some they become your life’s blood and for others it means nothing.  Each person picking what drives them to celebrate or not, eat at certain times, or not, spend time with family, or not.  Whatever it is, is just ok.  For us, we continue to do the best we can without the old guy in this picture; the little girl with the blue painted Pictish face….the one who followed his every step across the expansive Gatherin’ grounds every single year soaking in every word he breathed.  She was the one who simply knew he was magic.  We don’t have highland athletics, or live music, or thousands of people, or the running of the fiery cross, or the feast per say, but we have something much better.  We have memories, and we honor the ones who couldn’t be here.  We will tie ribbons for those we lost: Albert Bosch, Joan Tieman, Jace Myers, and many others who didn’t see the light half come.  We will pay homage to our ancestors, James Cleland Edinburgh, Scotland 1736, James “Seamus” Cleland 2014.  I know that Erin is worried and nervous about her Gatherin’ being perfect, but she has to remember, IT’S YOUR GATHERIN’ DARLIN.  If you have fun, it’s on you, if you don’t….it’s on you.  It doesn’t matter who comes or who doesn’t.  It doesn’t matter who gets it or who doesn’t.  It’s about how you walk that fire and run your own race.  “The Gatherin’ is as the Gatherin’ does..”

This song pretty well sums it up.  Brian FitzGerald sent me this rouge copy of him singing the morning of my big surgery last year and I was overwhelmed.  It is my favorite. “We aren’t about the reason, we’re all about the rhyme.”

http://www.waygoodmusic.com  Switchback, Martin McCormack and Brian FitzGerald

“If you want to eat, eat. If you want to play, play.  If you want to dance, dance.”…..he was right.  Thank you Dad for the times that live on through time and memory.

Love Peace Light Gather

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