The Family Rock

This year marks one hundred years since Charles and Anna Freeman bought a 170 acre farm between Plymouth and Ann Arbor, Michigan.  They moved in with six children, and two more were born in that house.  The last one was my grandma, Leola.  Later, Leola's husband Clarence would move his family into the house to help his father-in-law farm the land.  My mother came home from the hospital to this house.  The family has lived there all of these years, including my grandma's sister, Ida; and most recently my mom's sister, Fran.

Over one hundred cousins gathered to remember the history of this farm.  While the children are all gone, the grandchildren, great grandchildren, and even great great grandchildren came.  There was someone to represent each of the original eight Freeman children.  Some remembered Christmas with Aunt Ida, others remembered visiting as they traveled to other destinations in Michigan.  We all remembered happy times there.  

The house has seen many renovations, with bathrooms added, bedrooms moved, an apartment that was lived in by family members, and then changed again to one home.  It has seen many family gatherings, reunions, holidays, and visits by family coming in and out of the state.  Old furniture was stored in the basement for years - wash basins, beds, dressers, a butter churn, and other antiques of the past one hundred years.  The farm land has been sold, but the house and its gardens remain.

Our immediate family moved around a lot - South Carolina, Florida, Virginia, Tennessee....  Always, though, the Farm was there, welcoming us back to Michigan.  The doors were always open and we knew that we just had to make it to the Farm for a good night of sleep (as long as it wasn't too hot).  Aunt Ida, and now Aunt Fran, would be there to welcome us.  We would sit at the kitchen table, watch the birds at the feeders and drink coffee.  We had fresh blueberries for breakfast and fresh tomatoes for a snack.  We ran down the upstairs hall with all of the ancestors staring at us; we explored the basement and gardens; we had a nightly bonfire; and we finished the evening with a game of Scrabble.

This one thing has been a constant in my life.  It has always been there.  It was always a place that family members knew they could go home to, and always a place of love.  It has been the Family Rock.  How appropriate that my Uncle Bill had a rock made to commemorate the one hundred year celebration.