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| Original Johnsons + Grandpa Johnson |
Last weekend I attended the Johnson family reunion. My Nana was one of twelve Johnson children who grew up at the turn of the century in rural Arkansas surrounded by a God-loving family The original twelve still attend in spirit as our huge group gathers each year for delicious food, lots of laughter and great storytelling.
We have over fifty 1st cousins in the family.
Fifty 1st cousins equals lots of 2nd and 3rd cousins.
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| with a few of my 2nd cousins… |
How long will these reunions continue?
When the 1st cousins can no longer travel, will the 2nd cousins continue the tradition? We are spread around the South, busy with kids and careers and life. Some cousins I only know through Facebook. Some are complete strangers. Even so, that one weekend a year we realize our special bond is worth the effort. Plus, the original twelve would miss these family celebrations if we stopped.
talya
(Johnson 2nd cousin)
Musical Pairing:
In the Sweet By and By, Dolly Parton
How lovely, Talya. This reminded me of my Dad’s family – 15 siblings!! Family reunions are rare because folks are spread over three continents, but when we do gather, chaos reigns! 😉
Thank you Corinne! Three continents – wow. That would be difficult to pull off.
committing to seeing each other on a regular basis isn’t always easy… like you say, everyone is spread out, with their own lives…. my whole family still lives in california, yet i hardly see any of them…. i love the idea of farm life… so open, carefree, and quiet… 🙂
Thank you! I love the idea of California – LOL
Family can get on your nerves, but almost always worth the effort! Have fun!
My mom’s folks are from Pennsylvania as I have said in a post last month. I went home and met her cousins for the first time. I didn’t know many people, but I was grateful to see where my mom grew up. Her cousins were farms kids while she lived in town. It was fun visiting their family farm. 🙂
Love the thought of cousins getting together. One of my favorites is visiting me this weekend. Can’t wait!
I feel the same way about our family reunions. We have family scattered between North Carolina and California, and we usually try to find as central a location as possible for our family get-togethers. I hate to admit it, but over the years I’ve missed several reunions due to my sons playing for all-star baseball teams. It’s a tough decision whether to go to the reunion or allow my sons to play ball. They’d worked hard to get the honor of making the all-star team, yet it is very important that they get to know their family. Looking back, I wish I’d insisted we go to the reunions. I’ve been to the last two reunions, and it’s quite a shock to see how much my family has grown, as well as disheartening that I only know about half the people there. But it’s great to see everyone, especially the ones I grew up with. And I sometimes wonder how long we’ll keep the family reunions going after the matriarchs are unable to make the trips, or gone on to their Heavenly rewards. However, Facebook is a great tool in helping us stay in touch with our family, so there may still be hope for the future of our family get-togethers.=)