Slow Emergence From COVID - The Best News I've Heard All Year - My Family Reunion is Back! | #thoughtfuldailypost; #sublimesunday; #iamalivechallenge

The gathering. The serene country setting. The cook-off and bakery competitions. The camaraderie. The laughter and play of the youth. The sharing and learning of family history. The fellowship. And finally, the remembrance of loved ones lost during the past year.

Those are the memories of the family reunions. And that's what I've missed.

In a quiet place where one-hundred year old pine trees live, rivers run through, and protected forests exists uninterrupted by time, a social gathering has taken place annually for over twenty-five years.

However, in mid 2019, events uncovered surrounding the pandemic threw life as we knew it into a tailspin. We didn't know as a culture how it would affect our everyday lives and disrupt our plans for the near future. While over 600 thousand individuals in the U.S. lost their lives to this pandemic, society as a whole has never given up that one day this virus will be under control. Until then, we must still be cautious and help protect each other.

Cancelling the family reunion last year was a hard decision. However, it had to be done for the safety of not only our collective family both locally and distant, but other families we may have come in contact with. In the end, with over 500 members in attendance, it was the single most responsible thing that could have been done to prevent the spread of the virus.

The Family Reunion is Back.
We just received news that the reunion has been scheduled for the fall of 2021. We were all happy to hear this, but is cautious as we don't know the details of the safety measures to be put in place for protection.

In remembering past reunions, I think about all the fun and excitement that took place. Young and old enjoyed the fabulous food and fun activities:

Planning a family reunion takes almost an entire year. You just can't throw it together at the last minute. It's a lot of work. However, the rewards are awesome just to see the look on the children's faces.

If all goes as announced, then I'll start planning my part in ensuring the children have tons of fun, school supply packets, and of course, the most popular event of the weekend...face painting.