2023 Family Reunion Trip

Well, here's the third installment of our trip last week for the family reunion and to visit the N.GA. Mountains.  If you read the last two posts HERE and also HERE, you already know about the trip to the cabin in north Georgia.  I promised to save the best part of the trip for last, and that is the actual family reunion, which was actually where we went first before going to the mountains.  I already showed you this picture below of the whole family who gathered for this special day...

But that picture is really the grand finale for the whole reunion event.  Prior to us all standing there smiling for the camera, we had been through all kinds of exciting events and had eaten lots of good food and homemade ice-cream and played outdoor games and basically just visited with each other and had a wonderful day.  So I will go back in time to the beginning of this day and share the highlights with you. Bear with me. There's a LOT of pictures!!!

We started the morning with breakfast at my brother Clifford and wife Caryl's home, enjoying their lovely garden while we ate a delicious breakfast casserole, cheese grits, fresh fruit, choices of nut breads and donuts, etc....a real feast to start the day!  

Cousin Becky,  my brother Cliff, nephew Todd, Cousin Becky's husband Pat, and my hubby John

I loved the casual garden party setting where we could easily visit with one another while we dined.

Sara and Brian (my nephew and his wife)

I know the names and relationships may get confusing...suffice it to say we are all related in one way or another!

Benton, my niece Debbie, and Rose

My sister Doris

Great Nephew Casey and Jordan

Niece Leslie and Art

Now this picture I called the gathering of the "brainiacs"...all the smart and highly intelligent ones discussing serious topics very lovingly...lively and interesting discussions...

I especially love this one below, my hubby, the retired "Doctor of Ministry" theologian sharing thoughts with the newest theologian in the family, my great-nephew, who is completing his PhD in religious studies and is currently serving as an Associate Minister at the church where he actually grew up. It was interesting to hear them sharing thoughts from God's Word and Christian doctrine with each other. I found it very encouraging and inspirational to see them coming together across the years to find this common ground.

Meanwhile, my brother Clifford was showing me some things in the house that were interesting...this huge old dictionary...can you imagine? This is the "revised and enlarged edition of The Century Dictionary".  Not sure of the year, but around 1900.

How would you like to carry that dictionary in your backpack? LOL.

Then there is the amazing painting on an old tree fungi that my father did back in the 1930's.  A farm scene entitled "Peace".

This is a photo of my dad that was hanging on the wall in my brother's workshop. My Dad was quite the character...much loved and missed.

After breakfast we meandered over to my niece Leslie's home to visit for a while.  Leslie lives in a very old historic home that belonged to some very special people in her life, and when they passed on, they left their house to my niece because she had helped them so much in their old age and they had no children of their own and loved her so much and she loved them as well. Anyway, that's another long and wonderful story, but suffice it to say the home is much loved and has been kept pretty much exactly they way they left it, with some of Leslie's personal touches added.  One special feature is this magnificent cross stitched picture of the house, which was created by the former lady of the house who spent the majority of her life in a wheelchair because she had been crippled by polio as a child. She did amazing needlework, many of which are still in the house today.  But this one is extra special for another reason:

Packed in a large envelope attached to back of the cross-stitched picture is this drawing of the house:

And this drawing was done by my father especially for this dear lady, so that she could use it as a pattern to create the cross-stitched picture.  My Dad used to visit these folks when my parents went up to visit my brother and family, and so that is how they became acquainted.  Anyway, I told Leslie that I think the drawing should be framed as well as the cross-stitch, as it is equally amazing! Maybe she will do that someday.

This old piano sits in the living room,  and the needlepoint cover for the bench was also done by the lady of the house...

As was this beautiful bouquet:

Oh, hello!

I LOVE this old sink, which is actually on the back utility/laundry porch:

Just a couple of outdoor pictures of the house:

And some farm implements on the property. There used to be many acres of farmland, which has been mostly divided up now:

From there we headed over to my other niece Sandy's beautiful home for a wonderful  lunch of BBQ pork, beans, all kinds of salads, etc....way too much food, but oh! So good!

The family gathered to pray and then to start moving through the line to get their food:

And then after dinner was over we started the process of making the homemade ice-cream...it's a family tradition!  And the other tradition is, if you don't crank, you don't get to eat the ice-cream! LOL. So everyone has to take a turn turning the crank!

There's yours truly...I started out early in the cranking before the mixture got too difficult to turn. Save that for the young strong people! LOL.

Niece Sandy

Jordan

Cliff

Great-niece Meg

Sara, Cliff, Art

Brian

Art

Rose

Cousin  Becky

Sister Doris

Benton

Sister in law Caryl

cousin in law Pat

Niece Debbie

Nephew in law Todd

Everyone took a turn, except for the "old crank", my BIL Art, who refused, but we excused him because he has a bad back.  He was just being ornery here on  purpose...LOL.

There, that's better, Art, and yes, we'll let you have some ice-cream...(Like we could really stop him! LOL)

This cute couple is actually a kind of new couple...Leslie's beau "Art"

And then these two discovered they were both known as "Artie" growing up! LOL.

niece Leslie

Great nephew Casey

Brother Clifford

Finally the ice cream has gotten too hard to crank...it's time to test it and then pack it in ice for a while to let it "set" until we are ready to eat it:

Cliff and Caryl

And a little later, after everyone was tired of playing outdoor games,  etc. (I forgot to take pictures of that), we came back inside for a surprise birthday party!  Guess who?  Yes, they remembered my birthday, which had been the week before, and my sister Doris and sister in law Caryl baked me an apple pie. 

We also celebrated my brother Clifford's birthday, which is this week,  and our grand-nephew's fiance' Jordan's birthday, which I think is actually today!  Cliff got a mincemeat pie, and Jordan got a vegan peanut butter pie!  

Oh, we mustn't forget Sugar and Spice...yes, they were there too!

And I will close with this bumblebee in the garden:

That about sums up the reunion day, which you can see was a day filled with lots of good food, fun, laughter and making memories together.  I wish all of our family members could have been there, but this was really pretty good considering the distance involved for everyone and people's schedules.

My final thoughts are that our families are important...we need to celebrate being together as often as we can while we are yet able. The day will come when we won't be able to travel due to health or other situations, and it will be a great loss for us. We've already lost our oldest brother Russell, our parents, and my middle son Matthew. My other thought is don't let pride, differences of opinion, politics or religious differences keep you from showing love to your family.  As much as possible, put aside past difficulties and learn to forgive one another, even as Christ has forgiven us.  These verses say it best:

Ephesians 4:31-32

31 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor,

 and evil speaking be put away from you, 

with all malice. 

32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, 

forgiving one another, 

even as God in Christ forgave you.

Amen.

Thank you for bearing with me to the end of all these pictures/stories/etc. I put these things together for my own benefit and historical significance so that I can keep track of when we did what and where and who was there, etc.   Until next time, Bye bye for now.

Oh, one more thing...my niece Sandy gave each member of the family a framed copy of this old family photo of us back on the farm in Pennsylvania, circa 1952.  I know I've already shared it with you in previous posts, but it was significant in that this was the beginning of our family, and it touches each of us in a very sweet way.  I thought it was a very thoughtful gift and an appropriate way to end this story.

The Beginning.

And one more photo...Our cousin Becky also attended the reunion...she was a very special part of our family growing up near us and with us for many family events. She and I were only 9 months apart, and so we felt more like sisters growing up than cousins.  Becky brought some old family photos that she found in her mother's things and shared them with us. There will be more in the future, but I wanted to share this one in particular so you could see Becky as a part of our family group too from the early days:

L to R:  Front Row: Pam (me), sister Doris, cousin Becky.

              Back Row: brother Clifford and brother Russell.