Visiting Robinson

I was blessed recently by a trip to North Dakota. I wasn't sure it would be a blessing considering it's North Dakota in January and I was attending a funeral, but it was an amazing weekend for me.

A little history...My Grandma grew up on a farm in Robinson, North Dakota with her 10 brothers and sisters. And I've grown up hearing stories of that small town life (there are two streets in Robinson!) ...walking to the schoolhouse in the snow, having all the playmates you needed in your own family of 11 kids, and living life on the farm (my 89 year old Grandma still has all her teeth, and she says it's from drinking all that milk straight from the cow). That lifestyle created a special bond in the Leland family, a bond they've passed on to us. And because of all this, I've always wanted to go and see the sights for myself, to walk where they walked, worship where they worshipped, and see what they saw. On December 7, 2007 my Great Aunt Esther, 96 years old, passed away. She was the last family living in Robinson so if I was going to visit, this was probably my last chance. Her funeral was January 5, 2008, and I was there with my mom, a handful of her cousins, and two of my Grandma's siblings. It was a chance to spend a weekend with family I've known all my life but never spent much time with. It was a chance to get a personal tour and see that yes, it's a walk in the snow from the farm to the little schoolhouse and wow, the wind really does go right through you and yes, you can see both ends of town from the corner of 1st and Main. It was a chance to be told by a stranger that you can tell from my smile, I'm a Leland. It was a chance to see my Great Uncle Allen cry and mourn over his sibling's gravestones. It was a chance to sit around a table and hear stories and memories and laughter. I'm seriously thinking someone should make a reality tv show like this: a weekend of relatives who barely know each other in a small town where the nearest market or restaurant is 30 miles away. There's just something different about strangers when they're family...That's entertainment :) Anyway, I was honored to be a pall bearer, blessed to finally be in Robinson, and did I mention I got to make a snowman with Haaken, my 4 year old cousin who was the only one there from my generation (in a family tree sense, that is). It was a great weekend. Check out more pictures at http://www.skellyfamily.shutterfly.com/ They are almost all scenery, mostly views up and down the two streets and all the sunsets and sunrises. The wide open plains with scattered snow, a few trees, and the occasional farmhouse make for amazing pictures.