This past weekend I attended a family reunion. It was my mother’s great grandmother’s side of the family. I knew no one there. Never even heard of them until I was recruited to work on the committee for the reunion, from the only relative that I did know. Lol. These are my observations from the event.
Family reunions are a lot like being on a cruise. You see the same people every day, whether it’s at breakfast, lunch or dinner. You begin to recognize people’s faces but may not know their names. You say “Hi” and are really friendly, you talk a little about self and they share information about where they are from. You laugh and develop some sort of camaraderie. The cruise ends and you don’t see any of those people again. In the case of family reunions, you may see those people again at the next one.
I guess what I am trying to say is that family reunions are kinda impersonal. We as people tend to gravitate towards the family we already know and are friendly to the family that we do not know. We discuss how we are related and introduce our families to each. But we don’t really take the opportunity to get to know each other or exchange information to stay in contact after the event. We don’t remember each other’s name from one day to the next. I am not criticizing anyone. I know I am guilty of this the most. What are we to do to deepen these connections and really get to know each other? I can’t say that I know but I will definitely put serious thought to my observations.
One reason I feel family reunions are necessary, from my perspective, is because you have the opportunity to meet your distance male relatives. I am so worried now. This side of my family happens to be very large. There was a fair amount of people in attendance but a good portion of the family did not attend. Which means that I have male cousins out here that I do not know. And for anyone who has ever dated their cousin, you would know what I mean right now. I can say, at this point in my life, that I have not dated one of my cousins that I know of. And if I did, yuck! Lol. Now I am saying some of this jokingly but seriously though, this is a real possibility.
It may seem that I am negative about family reunions but I am not. They make it possible to learn more about yourself and how we are all connected. I happen to experience syncope occasionally and so does my mom. I found out that it is actually common in my family. Reunions allow you the opportunity to know your family history, possible health issues and individual relatives. Even though I may not remember the majority of people’s names, I will remember their faces. I will see them out and know that they are mine. For all those who attended the reunion, it was great to meet you. To those who pulled me out of my shell and included me, I thank you. For those who were unable to make it for whatever reason, I look forward to meeting you and getting to know you at the next reunion.