Giant Redwoods

"Families remind me of giant redwoods, shading the small trees that grow at their feet."

This quote by Maya A. came to me as I was thinking about our family reunion in Chicago (I just returned two days ago). As I saw family members, young and old, I was grateful for all we have learned from the elders and all that the elders continue to share with the young family members. For those of you who have been following my blogs, you know that I appreciate diversity in all respects and know how powerful the acceptance of diversity can be. I love our family with so many diverse personalities.

It was wonderful to observe the energy of the young and the enthusiasm of the old. Family members from California, Pennsylvania, Florida, Texas, Arkansas, New Jersey and Georgia, all converged at the Doubletree Hotel in Oakbrook, Illinois. It was a reunion planned solely through conference calls and the internet--we had not even seen the hotel. Oh, technology, when used properly, is fabulous.

There were almost seventy of us there and although the California group hosted, it was a reunion in the purest sense of the word--everyone participated in every activity. There were scavenger hunts, great icebreakers, creation of a family song, a family inspiration service on Sunday, led by our cousin, a talented speaker and musician. This was a first because we usually attend a local church as a family. I thought this service was very powerful because it was personalized for our family with talk of love, love, and more love. It was also here that we honored our "fallen redwoods."

This reunion was the first with a theme--baseball. We wore baseball jerseys to our opening activity, had baseball inspired decorations, and baseball metaphors were everywhere. There was baseball themed chocolate, baseball twinkies, peanuts/crackerjacks, and players on all of the bases.

Instead of jumping on a bus to go on a grand tour, each person was able to choose what he/she wanted to do on Saturday--we called it "Chicago a la Carte."

We began these reunions over 20 years ago and they are held every two years. We began with over 150 attendees, and over half of those have "fallen." It is so important to keep the young family members engaged, because they will be the ones to carry on for years to come. We may not be here to see them become Giant Redwoods, but we know that the potential for growth is there because we continue to nurture them by "shading" the small trees.

If your family does not have family reunions, start now--it is a life-affirming and strengthening endeavor.

posted by Freetired One @ 12:36 PM