Christmas in New Jersey

[RoLo]

As most of you probably know, I'm a full-time resident of Florida, but mom and I spent Christmas in our home state of New Jersey.

Our trip was not planned, though somewhat expected. As it happened, my mom's sister had passed away

just four days before Christmas, she died of 3rd degree burns she sustained during a home accident. Aunt Anna was 98 yrs old!

During my aunt's funeral, I met aunts and cousins that I haven't seen since my wedding day, and I was married 42 years ago!!!

Can you imagine how embarrassing this can be. I was confronted by relatives who I was expected to remember,

but haven't seen in the past 42 years. It seemed like every few minutes a new hand was thrust into my direction for a handshake,

but in several instances it was sheer guesswork, to identify the person on the other end of the handshake.

Amazingly, some of my relatives hardly changed at all, but others had almost no vestige remaining of the image

that I had stored in my mind's eye. Has anyone else ever been in this almost surreal situation?

Roger

[Low_Budget_Hooker]

I've had somthing similar happen.

first off, I'm sorry for your families loss.  Senko77's 98 grandmother passed this week also.  98.  If only we all can last that long.

A bunch of guys that skied together on the U.S. Freestyle team decided to do a reunion in Boston a few yrs ago.  It was just odd because we skied during the time when the snowboard had JUST come on the scene and the mogul skier was considered the "anarchist" of the mtn.

Now, most are married with kids, wear a suit for a living,etc.  Then there was Pete.  He hasn't changed.  He now coach's for the J3's.  (Youth-Olympic hopefuls)

[Alpster]

My niece was married back in June. It was the first time in 32 years that all of my brothers and sisters were all in the same place. I had seen them each during that time, but it was an amazing reality when we thought about it.

Ronnie

[Gatorbassman]

It happens to me every time I go into the Wal-Mart in the town where I grew up. I always run into x-girlfriends that I should remember. It's kinda funny.