In the year 2020, literally everything has been off kilter in one way or another, or many all at once. Entering the holiday season, so many have not had the opportunity to gather in the ways we are used to gathering as families and friends to give thanks for the blessings God has bestowed upon us and our country. So many have struggled to find something in this pandemic year for which to give thanks at all! Through the closures and the lockdowns, the loss of loved ones, of health, businesses and jobs, and the loneliness of separation, our Lord walks beside us, offering us strength. His Blessed Mother is a constant source of comfort as she prays for us and directs our gaze back to her Son.
While normally we host an extended family gathering at our home and find ourselves bursting at the seams, this year promised to be an even larger affair than usual – and during this time of prudent social distancing, we looked for an alternative venue. We decided on a nearby park with perfect facilities, plenty of ramadas and a large BBQ/buffet for laying out the food, all adjacent to a large playground which includes a water-park, volleyball, basketball, and even an archery range. We ended up with lots of room to spread out our group of almost 30 and had the place for four hours. All the Heidmann cousins were there, with a few significant others, our kid’s families, and two great grandmas got to smooch their grandson. I couldn’t be more grateful for the special time we spent together.
My only sadness was that I was unable to get around and enjoy photographing the family having fun. My hope and prayer is that next year I will be up and around much more and able to not only cook, but really enjoy the day to the fullest.
Friday morning, Paul and Laurent hit the road early and took the seven youngest kids to the ranch for a quick two days of running around, throwing snowballs and building the tiniest snowmen ever, climbing the petroglyph mountain, and for Natalie and Xavier, having their first driving lessons with Laurent! I so well remember teaching my three oldest to drive on the ranch roads – so fun to see the tradition being carried on!
They didn’t take any real cameras, so these are the phone pics they brought back for me to post. I’m so glad they had a great time in the cold!
