REUNIONS
How many different types of reunions can there be? I started this trip with one reunion, headed to another and ended with another. All family reunions are very different. How are they different? Let me explain.
The first reunion was in Cody, WY and was with my sister’s family. This reunion is usually held every 4-5 years and 75% of the family was traveling from out of state (including me.) We were staying either at my niece’s (in RVs or in her house) or at my sister’s (in RVs or in her house.) There were about 20 between the two houses and an additional 12 that lived in the area. There was something planned every day for about a week, ending with a big 50th Anniversary party for one of the couples.Let me tell you, this is a family of cooks! At the beginning of the week, they put together a menu, went shopping (splitting the cost) and everyone took turns cooking or helping. The food was delicious. Even for the big party the kids did all the cooking. Nothing catered for this family even when they were expecting large numbers.
We went to the park where the kids went swimming and boating (the adults kicked back, visited, and enjoyed the beautiful weather.) We went to the 4th of July Parade three times, okay the Kiddie Parade was just ending when we got there but it still counts right?! We played games, who’s the best at Cornhole?
We increased our knowledge by going to see the Heart Mountain Relocation Center-a WWII Japanese American Confinement Site. While this was not my first visit it was interesting to see it through other’s eyes as we walked through. It was personal for one of the people in our group as his grandfather had been placed in a relocation camp. He explained to us how it had affected his family. It really had an impact on me, having that firsthand perspective.
It was fun watching the kids interacting as they ranged in age from 5 years to high schoolers. Some see each other once a year, others not as often. They were glad to see each other, and it didn’t take long for them to reconnect and then it was like they had been together since the beginning of time or maybe were brothers and sisters as there were the usual squabbles. When they had a goal though, there was no stopping them. They wanted to go out to the pasture to see the horses and they were ready just like that, not the usual 30-45 minutes to get ready, no sir, they were asking what was taking us so long. Or when they wanted to go to the July 4th parade, they were ready and almost running down the street leaving us in the dust! The kids were included in the cooking, especially the older ones, but everyone had their duties, they all felt included.
The 50th Anniversary celebration brought together family and friends. There was lots of food, games, fun, conversation, and unending pictures. What more could you ask for? The sad thing was that following this event everyone started leaving for home, scattering in different directions across the US. Some were heading to Tennessee, Texas, and Florida. My sister, her daughter and family and one of the visiting relatives, Joe, headed for the Big Horns and an Archery Tournament. Patsy, Kathy, Doug, and Steve (sisters, brother, and nephew) left with me to Yellowstone National Park. They were heading back to Cody; I was heading to the Tetons and Glacier National Parks and eventually my next reunion.
I eventually make it to Watertown where my next reunion is being held. This reunion is the DeBerg reunion, is held yearly and is a one-day potluck affair. I am here a week early and am excited about seeing all my relatives. I am staying with my cousin Barb, and we play our daily game of Scrabble while discussing what we are going to bring to the potluck and who might be coming to the reunion. We decided to send out a message on our cousin messenger group to see who might be coming. Then we headed over to my aunt’s house to visit and look at photos. Over the week I get to see Cousin Joe and attend a concert with his wife Teri and my aunt. Barb and I do some shopping on senior discount day as I need to restock my freezer so have some cooking to do while I’m here. Saturday rolls around, my freezer is stocked, food is ready for the reunion on Sunday, so Barb and I are playing very competitive games of Scrabble late into the night. It is raining outside so I’m not excited about running through the mud and rain to the RV but eventually we are both falling asleep at the table, so it must happen, it’s time to go sing and dance in the rain.
Sunday morning it is still raining so it is a good thing the reunion is being held inside. We show up early to help set up, but cousins Colleen and Molly have it pretty much all set up. There are a few things that Barb and I help finish then we sit and visit. It is nice to catch up. It is crazy that Colleen lives in the Scottsdale area in Arizona, yet we never get the time to meet up when I’m in Arizona. I admire her as she is running races every weekend when she is in Arizona (anyway it seems that way to me!) Now me, I’ll WALK a 5K if I have someone that will walk it with me to keep me company, see why I admire her? Anyway, it isn’t too long, and everyone starts to show up. It’s good to see everyone, to catch up with what they have been up to and to see that they are all in good health. The food table starts to fill up and the room starts to smell good, my stomach starts to grumble, and my mouth starts to water. One of the items was a cake that my Grandma DeBerg used to make, and my cousin included copies of the recipe for everyone.
There is a table of photo albums which is a huge draw for me! After everyone was finished eating, I took the albums to where Aunt Gert was so she could identify anyone we didn’t know. In looking through the albums I learned that my grandma wrote on a lot of the photos which was so helpful as even Gert was stumped sometimes. There were times I caught her saying “I wish there was someone I could call and ask.” Gert is the last living sibling of 11 and she will be 98 at the end of October.
While this reunion is open to all DeBergs and used to be attended by my great aunt and uncles and their families, anymore it is just my grandpa and grandma’s family that attend. While we only had 26 people attend, we had representation from seven of the 11 DeBerg kids. All live in the local area except for my cousin Colleen and me. I would love to see cousins from all the DeBerg kids in attendance and maybe even family from the greats. I know it is a long way to come for most of them for a normal reunion and an extended reunion is a lot of work, especially if you don’t know how many will be coming, kind of like planning a class reunion.
To fulfill my need to see more family I head to Iowa where I know there is a 2nd (or is it a 3rd) cousin waiting for a meet up. I get to Kesly, Iowa and meet up with Randy and Evelyn DeBerg (Great Uncle Harm’s son) and shortly get to meet Amy (Randy’s niece.) Amy is a collector of anything DeBerg and Kesly plus she is full of stories regarding her family. We have so much in common. While there we spent a day swimming and I got to meet and visit with another cousin, Carol Bode Watters, and her twin sons. This cousin is on my grandma’s side and her dad was my grandma’s brother. I just love making these new connections. While in Kesly I also got to see Norelle Uhlenhopp and her sons. Norelle is my great Uncle Claus Deberg’s daughter. I got to meet Randy and Evelyn’s son, Kyle. Kyle and his wife, Nola, are fellow campers. Kesly, while not officially part of the DeBerg reunion, for me is always part of the DeBerg reunion.
I then left Kesly heading to Dubuque, Iowa, and Clarke University to meet with my nephew, Brian, and his dad, Bob. He will be moving into his residence hall and meeting with his basketball coach. It’s been 12+ years since I’ve experienced a residence hall move in so this should be interesting. I get to the campus early so I wander around. The campus is beautiful, and the people are nice. I had sent out a notification to the Facebook group SAMS (Student Affairs Moms) which I’m a member of to see if anyone at Clarke is a member and there is one so I’m hoping to see her at some point! She will be a great resource for Brian during the year plus I’m always up to meet new professionals along the way. Bob has been telling me how helpful everyone has been including giving them permission to move in early since he must fly home the next day which is the real move in day. The coach was wonderful and eased most of Brian’s anxieties during their meeting. After the meeting with the coach, we ran into the SAMS contact and Brian was able to get more questions answered. Bob and I were able to get Brian all moved into his room and he was excited to meet his new roommate, participate in the planned activities and start school. Bob headed home and I planned with Brian that I would check in with him in about two weeks.
I then headed for Kokomo, Indiana, and my brother Dick’s house. It’s been about a year, so it is good to set eyes on him again. It is a fun week spent connecting with the card group and meeting a new group at bowling. We went with his “grandson” to his first day of class at IVY Tech, met his teacher, went to the library, the bookstore (donated coffee) and met the folks at their Student Affairs Division. Next, we visited Indiana University, Kokomo where we visited the bookstore (I bought t-shirts and pennants thanks to Dick’s discount!) and then visited the activities fair they were having. We did so many fun things, went to a luau, a tech seminar, a play, along with lots of cards and movies. Once I was back on the road, I missed playing cards and watching our old cowboy movies!
All of these were “reunions” in some manner as we were getting together with those we had been apart from. One was a large group over an extended period, another was a large group for one day, another was individuals over several days and the last were just a few people over a couple of days. For me they all had great meaning and I would do them all over again in a heartbeat as family is the most important thing for me and traveling gives me the means to accomplish these “reunions.”
“A journey is best measured in friends rather than miles.” - Tim Cahill
