It has been months since I wrote a blog post. I have been busy with numerous things during that time, but the one I’ll tell you about today is our family reunion.
Our every-three-years reunion (though this time was four due to COVID) is a gathering of my paternal grandparents’ descendants and their families. Dad was the oldest of nine children, eight of whom survived to adulthood, and he and Mom had seven children. Dad’s branch alone is extensive, but I also have 27 first cousins, many with children and grandchildren of their own. One of my sisters has two great grandchildren now. We are a family tree-full! My daughter Kelly draws up that tree to display at each reunion, so we can all see just how we are related.
Just About 115 of Us
Our family reunions are not run-of-the-mill reunions. We take an entire weekend with campfires to gather around on Friday and Saturday nights. We provide breakfast, lunch, and supper on Saturday. We have activities available for every age group, from building blocks to water balloons to euchre games. Everyone gets a can coozie to use for the day and take home afterward. This time, we had T-shirts! We even have door prizes. There’s an In Memoriam display to pay homage to those who have passed on, a table with memorabilia from past reunions, and, for the first time this year, a veterans display to honor family members who have served in the armed forces. There’s also a booklet that updates what family members have been up to since the last reunion.
It’s the Connections to Our History that Makes it Come Alive.
These reunions have become true events, though they began small with a discussion between me and my cousin Tim in 1983. We took the idea to my dad, he talked to his siblings, and the first Cannon Family Reunion launched in 1984. (Sadly, both Dad and Tim are now honored In Memoriam.)
When we discussed how to pay for the first one, we asked should we charge by the person? Dad didn’t want cost to keep anyone away, so his idea was to ask for donations. Family members should donate according to their means. He said, “If we come up short, we’ll pass the hat at the reunion.” Thanks to the generosity of this wonderful family, we have never had to pass the hat. Dad’s youngest sister (Margaret Ann) greatly enjoyed the reunions and believed they were important, so she specified a donation for the next one before she passed away in 2018. This summer’s reunion was paid for entirely by her!
Many of my first cousins grew up in Ironton, OH, where we drove to visit them every summer when we were kids. Even though we didn’t live close together, we were and are a close family. Seeing them again at reunions is a marvelous opportunity to reconnect and catch up, but it’s also a chance for the next generations to get to know one another and build new friendships. Margaret Ann knew how important family is, and this family knows how to celebrate it.
