I ventured off the porch this weekend to attend a family reunion of my wife’s clan. Those in attendance ranged in age from 2 months to about 78 years. Women don’t reveal their age, so you have to estimate. It’s hard to guess someone’s age and I found myself doing a lot of calculating if I knew the parent or someone in the same generation of an individual in question. One lady was pretty hard for me to figure out because she had no teeth. She had just been in the hospital where her false teeth were lost. She hadn’t gotten her new set, so she looked a little older than her actual age, but great anyway. The majority of folks there were over 30. The young usually don’t attend reunions. People are generally over 30 before they start realizing they have relatives other than parents or siblings. Most folks can’t tell you where their grandparents are buried or even care. It’s sad. People get interested in genealogy in their latter years when they finally realize they are mortal. They want to become acquainted with those they may meet in the hereafter, and increase their awareness of those who have passed on, so as to recognize them and apologize for being so inattentive in life.
Some of the older statesmen couldn’t make it to the gathering because the meeting place was hard to find and not accessible by stretcher. A few of the ones who did make it got lost on the way and had everyone worried. Older folks usually don’t know how to use cell phones or a GPS system. They just drive around hoping to run into their destination. Another trick about cell phones is that they have to be turned on to be effective and the numbers on those small keyboards are hard to see. It’s also hard to speak into one when the mouthpiece is over your cheek rather than your mouth. As the human species evolves, in future years our mouths will probably be centered over our cheeks.
The people attending were most interesting. Each has had a remarkable life experience which can best be revealed through a private conversation. I love to interview the folks and find this is best done when I get them off, privately in a corner. I focus on their life and say very little about myself. I just ask questions. I heard some real interesting stuff that was better than what you see on TV or read in a novel.
This weekend I heard a sermon about Fruits of the Spirit that reminded me of the reunion. Some of the stories I heard at the reunion were about works of the flesh including; divorce, adultery, uncleanness, lewdness, hatred, contentions, jealousy, outburst of wrath, selfish ambitions, envy, drunkenness and the like. Most of what I heard though, was the Fruit of the Spirit that were part of these folks everyday life and included; love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. They are all good people and I’m proud to be part of them.
I’m sure glad I went to the reunion. I brought home a treasure chest of memories, which I plan to ponder on the porch in Salado. Pictured above is one of the past reunions of the group, well over 60 years ago. I sure hope we have another one before then or I might not make the next one.