We are Family - Inspiration from the Mumfords

I love spending time in the Clifton Cemetery. Melissa and I headed out to exercise about the same time and I knew she would power up past the Cemetery so I just hung around up there for a long while before she came back.

One of the observations I made this year was on the headstone of our wonderful family friends, the patriarch and matriarch Gid and Betty Jo Mumford. Instead of listing only their biological children on the back, the Mumford children chose to have li
sted both child and spouse, for example, "Ron & Carol".

I realized the significance of listing the names that way, based on my personal interactions with Betty Jo. She always made me feel special and important in her life and there is no doubt she and her husband embraced their children-by-law with open arms. This is what family is all about, no biological marker needed.

Over the few weeks of being in Clifton, I recognized how my Mumford peers, Duke, Lincoln and their spouses Katie and Hollie are carrying on the legacy of their grandparents and uncles who have passed away (two uncles: Murray and Jeff, both of whom made positive impacts on my family personally and the Clifton community).

"I'm perfectly clean" - Carson after scout camp where
he shared a tent with the Mumfords

My children have become friends with the younger Mumford generation and enjoyed time down at the farm. Melissa's son also went down and helped milk cows. My son went to scout camp with two of the boys. We had a fun family game night (Lincoln even remembered who won the game last summer and made a big deal out of my Kinley being able to carry on the winning tradition).

On the last Wednesday before school starts, I was there when the Mumfords hosted a final "Rounders" softball game for the community. Apparently, every Wednesday during the summer, everyone is welcome to come up to the softball fields, under the lights (see how modern Clifton has become), and play for an indiscriminate amount of time. They made hot dogs and served root beer floats.

Lincoln pitching to an enthusiastic Callie

I pictured Uncle Jeff pitching balls with a big smile on his face and Mur playing the bases (my dad played first base, seems like Murray played second) like they did when I was a kid. Seeing this tradition and legacy teaches me incredible lessons about what it means to be family.

Lastly, the day or two before we left, Lincoln and Hollie hand-delivered a case of peaches to my parents. Of course, they made it seem like the peaches were for Kinley because she'd helped herself to quite a few while down at their house. That is just the way they are -- make everyone feel welcome and loved. Kinley still talks about those delicious peaches and how she wishes she could have brought some home to Washington. Thank you Mumfords!!