In some families, reunions are a regular--perhaps even
annual--event. The majority of family reunions are organized as a means for
members to keep in touch with one another. This is especially important if your
family, like ours, is spread across the country. Our
family gatherings have often been rather sporadically centered around the
passing of a beloved family member. Though we try to keep in touch
through email or by phone, nothing beats a personal gathering. So, this year, I decided to organize a reunion that would
celebrate the birth and growth of our extended family.
It is
not uncommon for family members to lose touch with one another, especially if
they are not immediately related. The reunion helped us reconnect with long-lost
cousins, aunts, and uncles whom we had not kept in touch with over the years. Family
bonds were strengthened and relationships were rekindled, reminding us to take
a step back out of our busy schedules and remember what is important in life.
We used
the occasion to provide a means for younger family members to learn about their
heritage by constructing a family tree. We shared family albums and stories about the
past. By including extended family members, we saw how the family tree had
grown branches that connected us to others from different religions, different
parts of the country and different political ideologies. It helped us to recognize
the universality of the human experience.
At a
time when our nation is more divided and fractured than any time in recent
history, perhaps we all need to reconnect with our pasts and realize that we do
not exist in isolation from one another. We are all part of the “family of man”.
Wanda DeHaven Pyle will be reading from her family saga, Windborne, on July 9 at 1:00 at Pipe and Thimble Bookstore, 24830 Narbonne Ave in Lomita California.
