Family Reunion

We had our Bergeron Family Reunion yesterday. The Bergerons are my mother's side of the family. There were seven siblings in my mother's family, and those brothers and sisters produced 25 grandchildren. (my generation) We lost count of how many are in the next generation (my children) - last time we counted there were fifty - and now there's another generation. We started the reunions in 1994 after my Uncle Joe died. We went to his wake and saw cousins we hadn't seen in years. After talking for a while about how sad it was that we only saw each other at funerals, it was decided that we should have a reunion. The first year, I was working for our town's recreation department at the town beach/park. I talked to my boss and she gave me permission to have the reunion there on the Sunday after Labor Day since the park would be closed after Labor Day. And so a tradition was born. This year was our 15th reunion - on the same date, at the same time every year. It's incredibly easy. Everyone brings their own food/beverages and a dish to "pass". Bring your own lawn chairs....some bring grills....some bring folding tables. People show up when they can....some for all day....some for an hour or two. This year we had over 70 people. The highlight of the event was a visit from my cousin Ruth, along with her husband and son, from Ohio. I hadn't seen her for something like 30 years. We've been very lucky with the weather. Last year was the only "iffy" year. It rained lightly for a bit.....we sat under the small overhang. Later in the day it cleared and more people showed up. We've never had rain any other time. Some years are chilly, some hot. This year was outstanding.....a glorious day....especially after the drenching rains and high winds of Hurricane Hanna went through on Saturday night. It's a blessing for us to have a tight-knit family. I enjoy seeing all my cousins every year. My Uncle Chanel, who at 82 (ish) is the oldest member of the family, mentioned to me that he hoped the reunion meant as much to the younger generation as it did to the older. I hope so too. I'd like to see the reunion go on forever.