Dominant
theme number 1: FOOD. It all started already on Thursday evening with a great
outdoor feast in the backyard where does and their fawns eyed us from their oak
tree shelters. Incredibly wonderful fried catfish, hush-puppies and more, all
washed down with Shiner Bock beer. By the next afternoon the hospitality suite
was loaded with cookies, cakes, cobblers, pies, chips, nuts, salsa, pastries,
tacos, dips, cheeses, sausages, fresh fruit, beer, wine and every imaginable
hard liquor and we did justice to it all.
Of
course, the hospitality suite food had to be supplemented by sit down dinners;
once at the German Mannerchor Halle with brats, once in the Romeo and Juliet
Ballroom with churrasco steak, another at Jacala with enchiladas, tamales and
frijoles negros, (Did I mention the catered breakfast tacos and the freshly
baked cinnamon buns?) Oh, yes, there was a special luncheon at a fancy Italian restaurant,
but that was “for the sisters only “, so maybe this male should not list it.)
Theme No
2: COMPETITION. I am pleased to note that the competition was NOT as to who
made the most money, drove the biggest car or had the most square feet in their
home. Instead there was the very competitive golf tournament at the historic
Brackenridge Golf Course. Seven foursomes with players aged 11 to 84 went at it
with the intensity of a Ryder Cup. Since I played worst of all I won’t even
mention the usual winners. But then came the really serious Texas 42 Tournament
(played with dominoes, in case some non-Texans happen to read this.) The Texas
guys will trade an oil well for this title so imagine their chagrin when the
two top winners were (of all things) two women and to add even deeper insult
neither of them is currently living in Texas and one of them is an outlaw. The
theologians among us wondered if this was a sign that we are living in end
times.
Theme No.
3: CHANGES. My father and Mother Oscar and Lina Kieschnick are the ones who
started all this. I can only imagine that they dreamed of a very homogeneous
set of offspring, all German blooded, all Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod
members. However, as they looked down on that crew assembled in San Antonio
they would have noted and joyfully accepted the fact that the Kieschnick
clan now includes persons whose ancestry is Spanish, Chinese, Bohemian,
Korean, Israeli, Scotch, Jamaican, Irish, and more. And church/religious
affiliation called for very broad ecumenical acceptance. One evening I just sat
back at looked intently at the assembled crew and noted the obvious change: my
siblings and I are getting holder. We range from 89 to 68. The skin on our arms
and hands are typical of that Kieschnick rough, blotched unattractive texture,
our ears and filled with haering aids, our memories are challenged, our eyes
tired well before the 2:00am self-imposed curfew of generation 3.
Theme No.
4: VALUES. My Father was probably the most accepting person I have ever
encountered; yet as he looks down on those who bear his name he would be the
first to identify less than perfection. For he would note that his descendents
sometimes gossip, become judgmental, eat or drink too much, use inappropriate
language, sleep in on Sunday mornings, focus only on themselves. Yet I would
hope that Mom and Dad would also sit quietly and observe and then affirm that
their values are being passed on from generation to generation; values like
faith in God; commitment to family, dedication to honest labor, love of
country, enjoyment of good times, sacrifice for the common good, appreciation
of nature, desire for new experiences, and strength to believe and act on our
best impulses as even after a full Saturday night of partying Sunday morning
found the family getting into their cars and driving to Mom and Dad’s old
church where we outnumbered the count of regular members and gathered there
around the altar for strength to carry on from generation to generation.
Next year in New
Orleans!
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