Twice a year my grandfather’s brothers and sisters would gather their families together for a reunion. Every August and December dozens upon dozens of aunts, cousins, great uncles and great-great-grandparents would gather for home-cooked food and some “visitin'”.
One of the reasons we chose to return to Atlanta in the heat of August is so that we’d be there for a reunion. Henry and Emma would be able to meet relatives near and far in one big setting.
While getting to know your family is great and all, the highlight for me has really always been the food. Every family brings one or more dishes and they’re always delicious. Of the “Top 5 Things To Do On Vacation” for me this year fully 3 of them involved gorging myself on some item at the reunion:
- Eat Aunt Ruth’s creamed corn
- Drink sweet tea from a gallon pickle jar
- Buy boiled peanuts from the side of the road
- Go fishing
- Eat more creamed corn
Though there are fewer and fewer of the original generation (only two of eleven brothers and sisters remain) my generation is slowly filling in the gap with children of our own. This year my cousin Leigh Anne and her husband Chris contributed a daughter Erin, my brother Paul and his wife Jessica contributed Bailey and Marla and I added Henry. This may be the most fruitful year on record!
It was a treat for me to head to “The Country” during the summer to play with cousins thrice removed at a great aunt and uncle’s home. I hope that we’ll continue to attend these as often as possible so that Emma and Henry can grow up knowing the names and faces of relatives that might otherwise be considered “distant.”