Granny's 80th Birthday

My dad’s mom turned 80 on August 8^th. To celebrate the occasion, the Cogan clan gathered at Jennifer (my dad’s sister) and José’s house in Montreal. We were all there, save three cousins (two of whom were in other parts of the country and one overseas), which is a special occurrence in a large family. We congregated in Montreal on the afternoon of Saturday, August 18^th and shared a fantastic meal, orchestrated principally by Granny’s two daughters, Jennifer and Brenna. After dinner we gathered in the living room and my dad, the family orator, delivered a simple but meaningful tribute to his mom. To honour her, he compiled a list of titles which represented her many qualities and talents, including devoted wife and mother, thoughtful neighbour, seamstress, swim instructor, ringer of the dinner time cowbell, etc. The list stirred up memories in all of us – things we associate with Granny without even realizing it. The atmosphere of appreciation in the room reminded me of how important a mother really is to all members of her family. She binds them together, and her qualities, character, talents, and values make an impact on all of them. Granny did not (and still doesn’t) set out to impress people with her qualities and attributes – she simply did what she thought was best for her family, and what she felt would contribute to everyone’s happiness – but they make an impressive list nonetheless! In her quiet but firm way, she worked together with Grandad to build a solid foundation for her family, pouring herself into her five children, molding them into people of character. I hope that looking around the room that evening, she felt satisfied with the fruit her efforts have born. I sense that Granny genuinely doesn’t realize how important her role has been in her family, but I hope that she was able to perceive, as we acknowledged, confirmed and added to my dad’s list, just how much we love and appreciate her.

Left to right: Chris, Jennifer, Sean, Brenna, Tim
Ian, Mary

After the toast, Jennifer presented Granny with a gift from the family (a beautiful peridot pendant and earrings) and laughter rang out loud and long over a certain Google search undertaken by Brenna about tradition surrounding the August birthstone (those of us who were present will remember well ;). We then enjoyed a delicious red velvet birthday cake and stayed up late talking and laughing. Our hosts had invited us all to spend the night in their spacious home, so we gradually trickled off to bed, until even the most enthusiastic conversationalists (i.e. my husband) decided it was time to retire.

The next day began bright and early for those of us with babies (and for my mom, who has a habit of waking up obscenely early), so we took the little ones outside to avoid waking up the rest of the family. As more and more people emerged from their bedrooms, breakfast was laid out and the previous night’s activity of eating carried on seamlessly. A family photo was taken after breakfast, and then we Marshall’s said our goodbyes. Most of the others stayed for another few hours, and more food was brought out. Hunger is forbidden at family functions!!!

Granny & Grandad's Clan
(photos courtesy of Joel)

A few days later, Granny sent us all a message expressing her gratitude for the event. I’m glad she enjoyed herself so much. It was a great weekend all around, and a pleasure to celebrate someone who means so much to all of us.