Off we flew on June 30, my husband Ed and I, to a big family reunion near Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. An estimated total of 60 or 70 relatives -- sisters, brothers, cousins, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, grandchildren , relatives-by-marriage like me -- were expected to attend. A contingent would arrive from L.A./San Diego, the two of us from the San Francisco Bay Area, several people from New Jersey, and two more large groups from Virginia and upstate New York.
The great thing about family reunions is the element of surprise. My husband hadn’t seen most of his relatives since 1967, the last time he visited Pennsylvania, in the summers. Would he recognize them after 42 years, and would they immediately know him as the teenage cousin from Miami whom they called Eddy? (As it turns out, the family resemblance among the cousins was unmistakable. In some cases, meeting a cousin was like looking in a mirror).
Before we met them, we wondered if we would have anything in common with the long-lost relatives, or if they would seem to be from different planets? During the four days of the reunion, would we be so fascinated with the conversations that we would stay up long into the night talking, or would we be so bored, we would run for the door a half-hour after being introduced to Cousin Patty from Paramus?
What actually happened was that we had a great time and enjoyed meeting (almost) everyone. Even the part where we all wore identical T-shirts at the picnic to have our pictures taken was fun!
As an only child growing up geographically separated from my Mother’s family in Boston and New York, and my Dad’s family in Iowa, I often fantasized about how great it would be to attend family reunions. Sometimes my spirits were low when I realized that almost all my friends were automatically “one of the gang” – their families. I rarely experienced that feeling of belonging to a clan.
The odd thing was, even though my Mom’s relatives were Jewish and my Dad’s relatives were Methodist, for some reason I consistently dreamed about being part of a big, noisy, Irish Catholic family. Well, my dream came true this week. As one of the cousins laughed, “Be careful what you wish for!”
This was a great thing, for my husband to reconnect with his relatives in such a happy way. And for me, my spirits are permanently buoyed, because at last I am “one of the gang.”
- Linda Jay Geldens, www.LindaJayGeldens.com
Click here for more of Linda's posts.
Comments