Family Reunions

I remember growing up in rural Illinois.  Each summer would have an exciting event that we all looked forward to:  our Family Reunion!!  Someone would reserve the place in the Forest Preserve and tables would be set up and the whole family would gather, with so much food it made you dizzy looking at it all!  I can still see my Grandmother setting up the table with a table cloth and there would be coolers filled with soda pop and drinks and ice!  The barbecue grills would be going and food cooking on them.  Games were planned and we all competed especially in the family softball tournament!  One of the neatest things was that us "kids" got to see all of our cousins that we hadn't seen in so long!  Aunts and Uncles in lawn chairs, music playing from radios and laughter rising in the air! What fun we had!
Now most of those family members from back then have passed on and with them, somehow the tradition of the Family Reunion passed on also.  Many reasons were given: family moved on to other states, key persons that had always planned it were passed on;  no one could get off work or travel that far, etc.  It's a shame because that was really the only time that all of us got to really spend some fun time together and catch up on what had been transpiring with each of us.

Now my Nephew and his wife have decided that enough time has gone by without all of us seeing each other and they have planned our first Family Reunion in probably 20 or more years. Many of our family are traveling today and a few have arrived early to spend some time with their children doing some sight-seeing before tomorrow.  Most of the ones attending are the younger generation: cousins!  Some of us older family will be there also, but it's so nice to see the younger families desiring to pick up this old tradition again!

Tomorrow will be a blessed day!  Praying for everyone to have a good time and safe travels and that this tradition will grow even bigger with each passing year!

A salute to old traditions!