I’m very lucky to come from a larger than average family. My dad is one of five children and my mom is one of six, so our family get-togethers usually consist of at least three or four generations of Allens or Devinos all in one place. Cousins, uncles, aunts, great-aunts, second cousins, great-great whatevers, I have them all and in abundance. Most of my mom’s side of the family lives in the Michigan area, so taking our route through Detroit was an absolute necessity.

One of the biggest frustrations of my adult life is that I work a schedule that requires me to be present on all weekends and holidays. I don’t mind work, especially not hard work, but having to miss most of the important family events that have occurred over the last ten or so years is not something that I am proud of, especially having grown up in an environment where family was so consistently present and prioritized.

Getting to spend this Fourth of July at my Grandma’s house, the hub of all family activity and the place of so many of my most favorite childhood memories, was a total gift. Not much about it has changed since the last time I was there. The people haven’t changed much either, we just seem to keep adding more of them. Grandma took Mom and me downtown to see the incredible church that she is helping to revitalize. Mom got to play the organ and “pull out all the stops” (did you know that’s where that expression comes from? I didn’t!) totally blasting the roof off of the place. We had burgers and pie back at my Aunt Georgia’s house (she and Grandma share a giant backyard, which as a kid was the ultimate playground), and after sunset my cousin Brandon and I got a 360º view of the fireworks while swimming in the pool. I’ve learned to be grateful for those days that are truly perfect…this was undoubtedly one of them.