“We don’t have family reuions,” one of the young women in my congregation told me. “My mother’s side is weird and there is no one on my father’s side to reunion with.”
Later that same evening another young woman told me the same thing. “We don’t have family reunions,” she said. “Luck you!”
Lucky me indeed! VERY LUCKY!!! This summer we’ve had 3 one-day Hislop reunions and 1 three-day Noel reunion. Luckily, I have been able to attend all of them.
Family reunions are magical. Truly magical. At our family reunions I experience an unconditional love that saturates and satiates. I love to watch the cousins interact inclusively and I love to feel the kindness, generosity and graciousness that permeates the interactions. These people love me and I love that! I love them too….and I love the feeling of loving them as much as I love the feeling of being loved. It is truly magical.
So, thinking about my family reunion experience and my young friends’ comments leads to me to a desire to share a message. Here is it.
Be the family you want to have reunions with. Family reunions do not have to extend back multiple generations and they do not have to span across multiple family units. Some of my greatest family reunion memories have been made with my siblings. Create relationships with your siblings that you want to extend into the future. And then, in that future, have family reunions with them. Forge friendships now with your brothers and sisters and then celebrate those friendships in the future with your children and theirs.
Do it. It will be magical. I promise.
Teresa
Later that same evening another young woman told me the same thing. “We don’t have family reunions,” she said. “Luck you!”
Lucky me indeed! VERY LUCKY!!! This summer we’ve had 3 one-day Hislop reunions and 1 three-day Noel reunion. Luckily, I have been able to attend all of them.
Family reunions are magical. Truly magical. At our family reunions I experience an unconditional love that saturates and satiates. I love to watch the cousins interact inclusively and I love to feel the kindness, generosity and graciousness that permeates the interactions. These people love me and I love that! I love them too….and I love the feeling of loving them as much as I love the feeling of being loved. It is truly magical.
So, thinking about my family reunion experience and my young friends’ comments leads to me to a desire to share a message. Here is it.
Be the family you want to have reunions with. Family reunions do not have to extend back multiple generations and they do not have to span across multiple family units. Some of my greatest family reunion memories have been made with my siblings. Create relationships with your siblings that you want to extend into the future. And then, in that future, have family reunions with them. Forge friendships now with your brothers and sisters and then celebrate those friendships in the future with your children and theirs.
Do it. It will be magical. I promise.
Teresa
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