Family, Friends and Place

Family, friends and place is what made Jack’s and my 50^th Wedding Anniversary memorable. The place was Claymont. The friends— those who have woven in and out of our lives. Our children are part of that weave, our extended family is part of the fabric.

So, when the decision was made to celebrate this milestone anniversary with a party instead of tripping off to the south of France, something was set in motion. True to personality, I began planning details and Jack began thinking about creating a band he and his friends could play in together.

Our daughter sent out a lovely invitation. Even with that help, I began to feel overwhelmed by the enormity of the undertaking and the calendar pages turning. I was awash in catering, renting, and follow-up. Jack, of course, was doing his own thing with the band idea.

Friends and Family

The week before our event, a quick gardening trip to Asheville saved the day. Over tea, my girlfriend from Sherborne asked me how I was doing. I owned-up to feeling resentment. The party had been Jack’s wish, and I’d wanted to grant it. I hadn’t realized it would be like planning a wedding! My friend asked me what I wanted from our anniversary celebration. This opened a door for me. Perhaps from this I lost an edge that resulted in Jack stepping up and helping in a way that I have often longed for.

What I wished for from this event, was that our extended families would experience the essence of Jack’s and my life together. A life woven into the fabric of Claymont.

Our children had grown up playing around the Claymont Mansion and property. So it warmed my heart when my brother’s kids and our grandson brought friends. Saturday morning found them played card games and hiking down to the Great Barn together.

After the party was over that night, they played hide and seek until midnight in the basement of the Mansion.

Family and Friends

Another long-held hope was granted when family members joined me for morning exercise in the Mansion Library.

Then,  After breakfast, while the kids hiked to the other end of the property, my brother, sister, spouses and friends joined a Tree-Walk with our Sufi friend, Hardy.

Leading up to our event, the Claymont “family” had my back when Amy got called away for a family emergency, a water leak affected the kitchen, and our resident honeybees were swarming in the courtyard from which the food was being served. We worked on ourselves knowing it would all come out right, because it always does. This is Claymont.

Claymont, the Place

In spite of the bees and random stings, the bar was open, the lawn was green, and the sky was blue.  All my varieties of family and friends were relaxed and enjoying this place I call home. Our “Chrysalis” Storytelling (fashioned after NPR’s Moth Radio Hour) in the Mansion Ballroom was fun, entertaining and tearful by turns.

My long-time Claymont friend Margarita fed us a five-star buffet back on the lawn under a canopy tent wonderfully decorated by Michelle, my daughter-in-law, and others.

The evening concluded with a magical performance of musicians, most of whom didn’t know each other, playing and singing easily together. People were pulled onto the dance floor and songs like Hit the Road Jack, Country Roads, and Those Were the Days found many singing along.

Despite our different personalities, Jack’s wish and my wish had come true. We partied and celebrated the essence of our married life with family, friends, and Claymont.