The "Cat's in the Cradle" Effect

          I was giving my 12-year-old grandson a piano lesson when his father (my son Andy) strode into the piano room, bent over, and gave his boy a hug. "What's that for?" I asked with a smile. 
          "Stupid 'Cat's in the Cradle'," Andy said, referring to Harry Chapin's song as he walked out of the room.
          In case you aren't familiar with it, the message chronicles a father's pride at having a baby boy who he declares will grow up to be just like him. As he keeps putting off his son's requests to spend time playing ball and other things, it turns out that when the father calls his grown son to spend some time with him, his son makes excuses as to why he can't. Then the father laments that his son has grown up just like him.
          With family relationships on my mind, I was lucky enough to re-connect with some extended family when my Uncle Bob and cousin Steve Rallison came for a visit from the lush, green state of Oregon. Here we are: 

L-R My sister Carolyn standing in front of Momma Ruth, Shirley (me), my sister Rebecca, my Uncle Bob Rallison, my cousin Steve Rallison.  

And my son, Michael, found his tribe with L-R: tall blond cousins Jacob McGarry, Steve Rallison, and Michael himself.

Do you have family gatherings? Do you enjoy connecting with extended family?