I’m a little behind on planning a family reunion next summer.

I have been thinking about all of the things – ALL of the things – and my mind has focused today on family reunions again. Maybe the Holy Spirit is telling me something here. Maybe I am just feeling sentimental. Maybe I am realizing there are some things in this life that are more important and life is too short…

My sister and I have Mom guilt, bequested to us by our own, so we take it upon ourselves to keep the get-togethers going. Mom used to send a birthday card to every last person on the tree of families – sisters, brothers, nieces and nephews, including greats. After Mom passed away, my sister had this noble idea that she would continue the tradition. I think Angela soon realized it was an organizational and planning ahead kind of thing – and unless the aunts and uncles and cousins were part of an immigration rally she was leading, organization and planning ahead were at the bottom of her to-do list. Still, whenever there is a calendar reminder of an Aunt’s birthday, the twinge returns.

A few years ago, when Sam became a part of our clan, he was amazed at how many family reunions we seemed to attend – how many aunts and uncles and cousins we actually corresponded with on a regular basis. It didn’t seem unusual to me, but apparently, not all families have reunions and directories like ours.

*****

Maybe it’s just this little corner of my world these days, but I am noticing a sad but new trend.

My age group seems to be the last generation of family who really “know” extended family, who think it is important to keep in contact. I think about the offspring of my age group – they are sporadic in attending get-togethers, if at all. And their children are not growing up playing with cousins at the Christmas reunions or at the lake in the summertime.

Family reunions and get-togethers are becoming something of the past, and this makes me sad.

20-somethings and even 30-somethings do not view extended family as a priority, are too busy to make the time, so therefore, they, and their children will not know of the joys…

*****

So, I want to be mindful and grateful for the joys of:

• the anticipation of company coming over, aunts and uncles who showed interest in me, and lots of cousins for Freeze Tag and Hide and Seek
• hours of board games and laughter
• catching minnows in the creek with my cousins Debbie and Brian and Susie and Dawnita
• jumping on the ultra-soft bed at Grandpa and Grandma Johnson’s with Mark and David
• pot luck meals
• Aunt kisses
• airplane rides with Uncle Floyd
• watching with delight as the prank gifts were opened during the gift exchanges at Christmas
• Sunday morning church in a hotel conference room with all the family
• Uncle Tommy and Aunt Arlene’s comic books
• catching up with everyone and seeing how my cousins had grown, either up or around, or both
• a houseful of company, all related and noisy and carrying in food
• traditions of Uncle Lloyd surprises and popcorn balls and hymn-singing with the Aunts and walking the streets of Haviland while the adults visited and all afternoon dominoes in a corner
• plates full of snacks with parents who were too busy visiting to care how high I piled
• the hideout for kids – Grandmommy and Granddaddy’s attic
• evenings around the campfire at Cheney
• ice cream and slide projector shows of the good ‘ol days
• being forced to play my recital piece because “everyone” (i.e. MOM and maybe Aunt Patsy) wanted to hear it
• feeling the love of family, lots of family

Sometimes those get-togethers were inconvenient and took too much time out of the schedule, but we went anyway, because it was important. It was family.

I’m glad we did.

*****

I remember going to a funeral of a family member once upon a time not very long ago, and after several people who knew this man shared recent memories and reminisced about him and his life, the son, who had been so busy living life in another state stood up and quietly said, “I didn’t realize what an impact my dad had on so many people.”

*****

It is the purest sign that we love someone if we choose to spend time idly in their presence when we could be doing something more constructive. – S. Cassidy