Everyone is busy...and some came and went...but as our Baerg family reunion ended...those who who were there met on the steps for a parting shot. That's right...there were 101 of us in total...of all ages. We spent the weekend at a retreat centre (read college campus)...in a parklike setting on a very hot and humid weekend in July. We rekindled old acquaintances...and met a few faces we had never seen before. We played ladder golf and bocce...Rook and Mexican Train...and we ate...a lot. We heard stories from the past...and shared life experiences with one another. We had our own band...and when they weren't singing with us...they were jamming on their own in a corner. And we discovered that we had a lot of artists and artisans in our group.
We also joined together in an effort to raise funds for a new gravestone for my great-grandparents.
They are buried in a little country cemetery...not far from where we met...and their graves are no longer identifiable. My dad has made it his mission to see that they have a proper gravestone...before all evidence of their burial spot disappears.
We have been meeting like this every three years over the past two decades. We have met cousins we never knew...and heard stories that had never been told. It takes a lot of work to make these events happen...and we always wonder if it will be the last one...but the plan is to gather the family from across western Canada and several American states again in 2012.
We have no idea what the next three years may bring...or how many of the 101 will be there in 2012...but as we ended our reunion...we sang together "We Have This Moment Today". It was a wonderful reminder to enjoy family...and the music of living...the everyday pleasures that are ours to enjoy...today. Don't wait for tomorrow...to look back...and wish for today!
What a fabulous picture attached to so many memories. Looks like a fabulous time. I suspect when looking around the group, there were many common "threads" in the family ties. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on helping bring the clan together. Those are memories you will cherish forever. (it's not without lots of planning and organizing)
ReplyDeleteMay the younger ones carry on this tradition for many years to come.
Thanks for for the peek.
Martha
YOU COME AWAY FROM A FAMILY REUNION WITH A STRONG FEELING OF CONNECTEDNESS AND BELONGING. IR'S GREAT TO HAVE ENOUGH FAMILY WITH THE WILL TO PUT ONE ON.
ReplyDeleteDAIRYMARY
Sometimes I get to the end of your posts and find tears in my eyes. Why is that? Oh, I know, it was the singing of that song together. I'm so glad that you got together and I'm so glad that you've made plans for the future.
ReplyDeleteIt's so great that you are keeping up this tradition of meeting every 3 years. It takes effort but so worth it!
ReplyDeleteWell, it was a success, by the sound of it. What a treat for the children, to look about and know that they are connected to everyone there. I like the project to raise funds for the headstone. Years ago, in Denmark, we found The Great Dane's g-grandparents' graves, but ten years later the stones were gone. We were glad that we'd taken photos.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful reunion! To think from two, came so many! It is truly a miracle and God's continued blessings on all of your family.
ReplyDeleteMy older brother and I bought my paternal grandparent's a new headstone after we had discovered their marker had deteriorated over the years.
This post brought the goose bumps as I read down through every interesting word. What a legacy and what a heritage you have. So rare and so precious. Thank you for allowing us a peak into your special family ties, and for the important reminder that you shared. Who knows what the next three years will hold. Thanks for sharing this with us.
ReplyDeleteI can imagine that this would be a lot of work to plan, but so well worth it! we have about that many people in our immediate family now... Mom-in-law, my huby's siblings and inlaw siblings, Mom's grands and greatgrands . .. we got together two years ago and I'm still kicking myself for not taking a photo.
ReplyDeletehow incredibly special Judy... there is so much people can do to stay in touch these days. .if they really want to. .
ReplyDeleteIt looks like you have a very special family.
How wonderful to purchase some new gravestones. Interesting how we continue to come back to our families. What a heritage, I was reminded of that at our funeral this week. What a blessing.
ReplyDeleteJudy, this event is just this most tremendous demonstration of shared kinship and love. It has me crying while I am here thinking about your post.
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