Ninety-Nine!

This is my Aunt Eloise and today she turned 99! It was a great privilege to be here in Michigan to help her celebrate her birthday. This time last year she was seriously ill and no one really expected her to make it beyond a few days so we are truly celebrating her life!

Eloise is married to my Uncle Dick, also in the picture. He is my mother’s older brother and he’s 11 years younger than El. He’s also had some health issues recently which is another reason I wanted to visit now. It’s been almost 18 months since I’ve visited - very unusual for me to leave it that long.

There were seven of us around the table this evening, at a very nice restaurant in Grand Rapids - two cousins and their wives, me, Dick and El. Excellent food and lots of laughter. I treasure my family!