A really good family comes together for Mom's 70th birthday

http://blogs.mcall.com/groller/

FROM KEITH GROLLER

Spent part of my Saturday night at the Liederkranz in Northampton for Joyce Reed-Ebling's 70th birthday party.

Wished I could have stayed longer, but I was there long enough to sense it was going to be a really nice night for a really nice lady.

And I was there long enough to get everybody together -- with the help of uncle Dave Hemerly -- for a photo of Joyce surrounded by her four kids. I am sure they'll be many more photos in Canton this summer because, uh, you know one of Joyce's kids has a pretty big engagement there coming up on Aug. 2.

I just wanted this to be a quick snapshot right outside the Liederkranz and they came together from their various tables for what I think is one special snapshot in time.

From left to right, that's Tyrone, Dion, Joyce and Teshia. I forget the name of the guy behind Joyce.

I genuinely like these people. And I have for a long time.

Why?

Because they're down to earth people who worked for where they are in life. Nothing was presented to them on a silver platter.

They remind me a lot of my own family. They've had their ups and downs and yet, there's an unshakable bond there. A very tight bond with Joyce at the core.

That didn't change when Andre became an NFL star and it won't change with him going into the Hall of Fame.

Tonight's party was in a neighborhood-type of establishment. It wasn't at some fancy, exotic country club surrounded by cascading waterfalls and plush gardens of 100 different types of flowers or with waiters walking around with white glove serving hors' dourves that are almost too pretty to eat.

This was a sausage, barbecue and potato salad crowd and I loved it. It was vintage Joyce.

As I watched Andre move around the room, I was thinking, here he is -- a soon-to-be Hall of Famer who just had the Mayor of Allentown give him the key to the city and a couple of nights later, he was fine with being just another guy at one of the tables talking to people.

No wonder Buffalo people love him so much. He fit in there just as he has always fit in here when he has come home.

Somehow, I can't see a Jerry Rice or Dan Marino feeling at home at a cozy little place like the Northampton Liederkranz, but Andre Reed could.

Oh, Matt Millen could. But John Elway? I don't think so.

The fact that Andre was there tonight speaks volumes about him and his love for his mother and family.

As for Joyce, I just want to be about half as spry at 60 as she is at age 70.

I like to see people living life to its fullest and she does. Andre may be a role-model to lots of football players, but Joyce is a role-model for many when it comes to perservering and enduring and holding things together, especially after the death of her first husband, Calvin.

Life isn't easy. Doesn't matter who you are. You're going to hit some bumps in the road. It's how you handle those bumps that really determine your lot in life. I'd say Joyce is at a pretty good place right now. John, her husband, deserves a lot of credit for that, too.

I believe she had a wonderful 70th birthday and I have a feeling she's going to have many, many more.