The Suburban Times

A community bulletin board for Western Pierce County.

  • Home
  • To Know
  • To Do
  • To Ponder
  • Obituaries
  • Calendar
    • Submit an Event
  • Subscribe
  • Advertise
  • More
    • Share your story
    • Submit an Event
    • Contact

Letter: Our family-room

November 16, 2018 By David Anderson

Today is no ordinary day.

Tomorrow won’t be either.

Nor the other night.

The other night my granddaughter and I made a racetrack out of our dining-room/family-room for her little brother to tear through the various obstacles we had deviously placed in his path.

Furniture was turned over and behind it his mother, our daughter, lurked, waiting, armed with a Nerf foam blaster.

It’s probably a family room like yours, where one doorway, wall, or broom closet entry is dedicated – never to be painted – to the markings from near the floor to what is now more than half way to the ceiling with the penciled dates and the heights of all the grandchildren.

The family-room is a room of laughter, and sometimes tears, because, well, it’s a family room.

It’s where the family will gather to watch the Seahawks (family are predominantly fans) play the Packers (one of our daughters married a guy from Green Bay).

Thanksgiving won’t be on the traditional Thursday but rather on the day after because that’s when all the family can be together.

There’s been great sadness shared in this family-room. Together we’ve faced cancer, death, and together, all of us, have simply sat silent for lack of knowing what to say.

Hopefully your family has a room like that.

Maybe with a gas fireplace that adds cozy warmth; and a book case filled with children’s stories; and a rocking chair and lots of blankets to wrap the little ones in – two in her lap at a time – while grandma reads – with great expression – of fire-breathing dragons and beautiful rescued princesses.

A family room with “Laughter in the Walls” like that described by Bob Benson.

A family room with always enough room for the ever-expanding, but always returning, family.

To the family room.

www.facebook.com/christina.klas.5/videos/10215334318824306/

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • More
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)

Related

Comments

  1. Evelyn. Twomey says

    November 17, 2018 at 7:12 am

    VERY NICE DAVID. MAKES ME WANTTO COME THERE TOO

    • David Anderson says

      November 17, 2018 at 8:46 am

      Thank you Evelyn.

Top Stories

  • A Letter to Attorney General Bob Ferguson From the Tacoma City Council
    A Letter to Attorney General Bob Ferguson From the Tacoma City Council
  • Letter: Petition to Save the Beavers of the Farrell's Marsh in Steilacoom
    Letter: Petition to Save the Beavers of the Farrell's Marsh in Steilacoom
  • Good-bye Black History Month - February 2021
    Good-bye Black History Month - February 2021
  • Steilacoom Mayor resigns
    Steilacoom Mayor resigns
  • Tacoma's Woodards comments on new Office of Independent Investigations
    Tacoma's Woodards comments on new Office of Independent Investigations

Become a better informed citizen.

Join over 30,000 readers each month and get real-local news and information direct to your inbox, Monday-Saturday.


Recent Comments

  • Joan Campion on Across the Fence: It’s All Greek To Me
  • gregory alderete on Letter: Petition to Save the Beavers of the Farrell’s Marsh in Steilacoom
  • Don Doman on Good-bye Black History Month – February 2021
  • Karen on Letter: Petition to Save the Beavers of the Farrell’s Marsh in Steilacoom
  • Andrew Homan on My Better Angels

Contact Us

The Suburban Times
P.O. Box 39099
Lakewood, WA 98496

Ben Sclair, Publisher
253-312-1804

Stephen Neufeld, Marketing Executive
stephen@thesubtimes.com

Copyright © 2021 The Suburban Times • Log in • Privacy Policy

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.