Monday, July 18, 2011

Rest & Reunion



Come aside and rest awhile - and that's exactly what I've been doing these past two weeks. I knew I needed a break when I felt as if I couldn't think anymore and I was on auto pilot. I knew I needed a break, because I was just plain old TIRED.

I have a large family by today's standards - four children. The three older ones were in various locations until our 2nd weekend in NY. For the first week, we took a mini vacation in the Poconos - it was restful and relaxing and our cabin did have that hot tub in it that you saw in the commercials, but it wasn't heart shaped. The scenery in the mountains is beautiful and the humidity was non-existent. The older I get the more I appreciate nature; I've noticed this trait in my husband also, and I love it.

The purpose of this vacation was to rest and also have our first family reunion on my side. One of the drivers for this event was the death of my brother last year; he was the first to die in the family. When we came together for the funeral - though it was sad, a common theme was that we needed to be intentional about getting together before tragedy strikes. And so after much hard work the Family Reunion took place the 2nd weekend in July and it was a blast! We met family members from overseas, reconnected with those we had not seen in years, talked, laughed, ate, and cried. There's a beloved uncle (my father's brother) who now has Alzheimer’s and it was heart wrenching to see him - he didn’t recognize anyone and this disease turns you in to a child. Unfortunately his wife passed away during this time so we went to her funeral Friday night.

I love to see the younger generations connecting and genuinely getting along with each other. I love hearing what each person does.

I was able to rest and reconnect with family. I do think Family is one of God's greatest gifts which we often take for granted probably because we get too tired to see the blessings that they are.

I hope you're getting some much needed rest this summer.

Does your family have a reunion? If not, why not? If yes I'd love to hear more. Any additional plans for the summer?

4 comments:

  1. My family tries to do family reunions. Unfortunately we don't always get along at family functions. I know that every family has their issues, but our are exceptional. I didn't even really realize what/how a family should mean/be until I met my husband's family. I love being a part of their family and am thankful that God saw fit to give our future children at least one side of the family that will love them openly and honestly. I pray that someday my side of the family can come together and realize how precious each of the members really are. Praying continuously.

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  2. All of my grandparents, all but one Aunt is gone as well as my Dad. My mom, sister and brother live almost 800 miles away. I did reconnect with cousins I had'nt seen in over 40 years at their dad's funeral last summer. It was so good to see them. And I'm hoping my mother will come to live with us soon.
    So glad you had your time with your family and sounds like it was in such a wonderful spot. No humidity. . .that sounds like heaven on earth! :)

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  3. Glad to hear that you had a great time with the family! I always feel sad for people who aren't connected with their families. Yes, we have them on both sides of my family. I'm on both committees. Both sides have them every 2 years. I love every bit of the planning process and look forward to seeing everyone. Our challenge is to keep finding things to do over the course of the weekend that will engage people of all ages. I think the one that we are developing now for summer of '13 will be the best one yet!

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  4. @jocelyn - will be in prayer for your family. families can be restored.

    @kristin - thanks

    @msrstdj - i agree with you. i was one of the planners and enjoyed it. now that we're done we're trying to decide if this should be annual thing or not.

    Thanks for reading and stopping by.

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