By Brenda Cannon Henley
Labor Day has come and gone for 2015, the kids and teachers have returned to school, and for the most part, summer is winding down. Fall is a beautiful time of the year and my family, like hundreds of other Texans, will be hunkering down for football. And, then we’ll be into the heavy planning of the holidays.

My girls and their families were all here yesterday, along with a bevy of adopted teens, to help DeAnna Davis celebrate her birthday. She and Callie Grace brought a fun game for us to play and I have never heard such laughter and such dramatic clues being given. Hardly anyone followed the suggested rules, we all spoke out of turn, and rendered too much information to help a contestant get the answer.

The game is Hedbanz, and it is truly fun to play with a group of folks who want to laugh and interact. The object is that each player draws a card from the deck, but does not look at it as he places it on his plastic headband. He looks to the other players to help him find clues to determine the answer – rather much like life in some cases.

Jim, Jason, Callie, and Jordan having fun

Our group was mixed. Two sisters, several cousins, the grandma, kids without families, and ages ranging from 16 to 72. It amazed me to see which words crossed generational boundaries, age ranges, levels of education, likes, dislikes, travel, and so forth. Some of the younger folks could come up with names of actors, movies, destinations, lessons from history, and other winning information to help out a favorite player.

As I listened to the constant chatter and laughter and waited my next turn, I was overwhelmed with emotion as I looked around my packed family room and thought, “What a wonderful world this would be if people from all quarters were this eager to help each other with daily life problems, health issues, transportation, school matters, and hurts of the heart.”

Chris and Nikki playing Hedbanz; Brendan Jones is really quick at getting the clues

It was great and very encouraging to me to see one of our new college teens bend over backward (literally) to help me get a clue. We laughed until we cried. I am so grateful that we can gather our group together for good, old fashioned fun that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg, and teach the younger generation that they can have fun and learn from those who are older and have more life experiences.

The older folks can learn to loosen up a bit, forget the hard things of life, and laugh for a while. Of course, food is usually involved with our family and we ended the fun game to cut the two birthday cakes.

As the people left and we locked the doors for the night, I stopped to thank God for more bountiful memories to pack into our personal memory books. I think it was a night never to be forgotten. I have come to realize on this side of parenting, that nights like this are the ones my kids remember with fondness. Thank you, Lord.

[9-7-2015]

Brenda Cannon Henley can be reached at (409) 781-8788, at
[email protected], or by using the contact form below.

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