ACT Blog

Family Bonding Via Memories By: Joe Ball, Publisher

Personal Thoughts…An Open Diary

Family Bonding Via Memories

By: Joe Ball

I had a watermark, one of those special, round-number birthdays recently.

I don’t give the number.

My wife Sandy, instructed me, “Don’t tell your age!”

As to “why not,” she referred to a friend of a friend who was part of a bridge group for many years.  A regular member.

One day the bridge partners were invited to her birthday — a BIG number.  They never knew her age.  Now they did.

Their impressions of her, formerly equal, changed.

She was invited to find another bridge group – – one more her age.

* * * * *

Anyway, back to my celebration.

I wanted a luncheon, only for blood family.  Meaning my children, their children, and my sisters (husbands allowed).

I wanted the luncheon theme to be family.  Continuity.

In short, the important bond of family – – and the hand-me-down, continuation of knowing and passing on of our family heritage.

To do this, I asked all present to give a remembrance of a family-related incident.

It worked.

The memories evoked  – – which I had videotaped, and (being a modern man) transferred to DVD’s for everyone present – – brought back events with laughs & tears.

Some highlights:

Daughters Yelane & Nanelle spoke of their childhood remembering sharing a bed with cousins and friends during a 10-day summer vacation in a basement apartment in Atlantic City. They recalled the family photo in front of the lifeguard’s rowboat.

They related their brother Bob, now a Professor of Urology and nationally recognized surgeon, coming home from a Harriton High School baseball game, where he was catcher.

He said over family dinner: “We played the worst team today!”

“Oh, what was the score,” he was asked.

“It was 21 to 4.

Pause.

“We lost”

Sister Jayne heard again the story of when I was a City Desk clerk at The Inquirer.

My job included listening to the Police & Fire Dept. radios. I would note for district reporters (they had them then) the incoming calls, which were passed on to them for follow-up.

So, I’m sitting there – and a “local” comes in.

The fire was at 6429 N. Park Ave.

My home!

Sister Jayne, then a child, had played with matches, and set a kitchen shed on fire.

I wrote the story.

It read that she saved the house and family by her early discovery of the fire (which she started).

There were stories of family dinners (lot’s of arguments)…Family dogs, Sable, Pierre, Tevin & Tener (Tener was named as we welcomed her to our home from the SPCA on 10/10. Tevin was named in memory of Tener), grandchildren births…(“Get out of the delivery room,” daughter Yelane yelled at me).

Dana, who worked as my secretary when she graduated high school, said at the luncheon: “Joe fired me — — often”.

She would call our mother and cry, “Joe Fired me”.

She was always rehired.

(Intro note to the following):

Sandy & I became engaged just six weeks after meeting.

Memorializing that, granddaughters Jessica, 10, & Eriya, 11, wrote and acted out the following skit, symbolic of the first time we ever met — — a blind date.

Eriya:  “I’m Joe”

Jessica: “I’m Sandy”

Eriya:  “Let’s get married”

Jessica:  “Ok!”

___________________

Other memories from my children’s childhood included weekly Sunday visits to their grandparents.They recalled the plastic slip covers on my mother’s sofa & chairs … the player piano my mother won when she became champion on the Jan Murray national word/spelling television show.My routine blowing of the car horn: beep – beep-de-beep arriving home very evening.

My dog, Tener, who “loved” me. I told my children Tener was a reincarnation of my nana, their great grandmother, who also loved me.

Bob recalled my taking him and Yelane as children to my office on Saturday mornings when it was at 845 N Broad St., (“Ball Associates”) and breaking for toast and cocoa at a neighborhood sandwich shop.

He also brought  back his memories of our father-son outings at Connie Mack Stadium and Franklin Field.

He had a vivid memory of catching trout from the indoor trout pool at the Philadelphia

Travel and Vacation Show, Convention Hall, that I originated and produced.

He brought up personal meetings he had with Buzz Aldren, Joe Frazier, Sandy Koufax … three First Ladies of the US, Mrs. Nixon, Mrs. Ford  & Mrs. Reagan who were part of programs I arranged for Golden Slipper Charities.

I ended the luncheon with a summary of my intent, my goal, in having the family memories agenda:

My closing was:

“We are family.”

“We are bound.”

“Let’s stand, together, and say:

“Family!”

“To Life!”

“L’Chaim!”