Sunrise and Sunset

Now that is a Great Lake!

I signed up for Substack with great hope that it would get me writing. My account sat idle and was approaching that nadir moment where it may just wither. Yesterday, in my creative writing group I was inspired by our leader to “just do it”. I woke this morning with a simple thought that might inspire others (or at least myself).

I returned recently from a family reunion which I played a bit of a role in organizing. It was satisfying to see family again all in the same place. The event has been evolving, first as an idle thought almost 4 years ago. I partnered with a relative at that time to document the history of our shared family and how we became the Dolans in so many places. I grew up in Western New York and left the area in the early 1980s after completing university studies. The area was experiencing damaging shocks from the decline of some core employers. The impact was serious and long-lived.

Now that I have found a drive to write a bit, I want to be sure to “stay focused” and share what brought me to write today. There is always tomorrow to tell the rest of the story.

My trip to WNY for the reunion and seeing family was wonderful. Often, when we travel, the joy emerges from the unexpected and unplanned things that just happen. I was able to spend some time at a cousin’s wonderful place on the south shore of Lake Ontario. Our reunion took place in the absence of my parents and all of their spouses and siblings. The baton has been passed to the next generation.

Late in the evening, I took a photograph of the night sky. Even though my phone is 3 years old and has suffered a few ignominious cracks of its screen, the underlying technology is amazing. I took this photograph late as the sun was setting. I managed to take another in the middle of the night (about 3 am thanks to that gift of age and middle-of-night bathroom breaks). In both cases, I was able to capture the stillness of the night and the light of the sun and moon shimmering on the lake. What amazed me most was that with zoom, I could even see the Toronto skyline. I am sure my parents, uncles, and aunts would all be amazed at what we hold now in the palm of our hands and what they are capable of. What I would most want to tell them is that it was them that inspired us to come together and keep our family connection going.