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Enjoy your stay Thanx for visiting |
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~ Reunions ~
Our family recently had a small reunion. It wasn't the "entire" family but it was a good close-knit group (the important ones) and it made for a wonderful day. It was definitely very different and it felt really good. It's a nice feeling to be part of a big extended family. I have really missed seeing some of these people and it is the perfect venue to catch up and reminisce about growing up together.
Every family reunion I have ever been to seems to revolve around those very old photo albums (the ones that everyone wants to forget). These pictures seem to come out of the woodwork and magically appear on the coffee table in the living room. I don't know where in God's name half these pictures come from and I don't even remember being in most of them but, there I am. Most of the pictures are embarrassing (weak youthful moments) but everyone has a good laugh and there is a sense of being together that is very unique to just us.
When I look back at some of these pictures I wonder what ever possessed my parents to have so many children. They must have been truly out of their minds. I remember the chaos and the chores and the fighting and all the birthdays but now realize just how insane that must have been for them to keep up with it all. They are amazing people. It's a shame that my mother has passed away and was not able to be part of this latest reunion. I know she would have been proud of us all. We all miss her.
The weird thing about this reunion was that no one cried about mom not being there and we all talked about her as if she was still there. I believe we were so caught up in seeing each other again that it never even crossed our minds to think about her not being with us. We all looked at pictures of her but they are just fond memories now and we have all continued on with our lives. It's a very strange feeling to look at these pictures knowing that she is not here with us.
We have some really nice family photos and a quiet place in our hearts for our mother that will be with us all forever. I know that each of us think the same way, including my father. He was so happy to see us all together. Amazingly enough he was very up-beat and his usual self. This was his moment of glory.
My dad seemed to have his parental control back for just this one day and everyone was quite happy to fall into line. The difference now is we are all a lot older and a little wiser. All the things that each family member has routinely done in the past (those mundane little chores) are now done voluntarily out of love for the family. I have never seen so many people hover around a kitchen in my life when the big traditional reunion meal is being prepared. It's like everyone is trying to guard the family's secret recipes. I was actually looking forward to washing the dishes after the meal (that was my job with my dad). Talk about domesticated...
This is one of those funny things happen to brothers and sisters at a reunion. All of a sudden the "pecking order" comes into play as if you are living under one roof again. It's uncanny how you feel like the little brother again and how you act in front of your older brothers. There is this respect of authority and domination that puts you back about 20 years. I started "playing the role" the moment I arrived and it ended when I left.
The one thing that I've always enjoyed about family reunions is catching up on what everyone has been up to. My family has been very fortunate that we all have good jobs and careers that are different but fascinating. I can spend hours talking to my oldest brother about being a university professor and what it's like to roam around the world doing research. In some strange way there is a piece of him in me that makes me wonder if I could do the same things he is doing. We have followed similar education paths and there is this "affinity" we have that no one else could ever understand or appreciate. I do love him even though he sometimes acts like a big nerd. I do know that he would be an amazing teacher and lecturer. He has definitely found his niche in life.
Reunions do transcend any time barriers. As a family we hadn't been together for almost 5 years and yet it seemed like it was just yesterday. We started talking from where we last left off and no one was offended or concerned that it had been so long since we last got together. Funny thing how our whole family has stuck like glue even though we are now spread across 2,000 miles of North America.
I have promised all my family that I will try to do a better job of keeping in touch and I will make an effort to see every one of them. It has been far too long and I don't want to let 5 years slip away again. This reunion taught me that family is something you should never take for granted.
Pure and simple..
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- This Storyworx page updated May 10th, 1998 -