When I volunteered to chair the away reunion and help Uncle Bubba with the local reunion I had no idea of the challenges to come. This was the first time for me, as an adult, to interact with all branches of our tree outside of my grandma Mae and momma Nessie.
What I found in each branch is a lasting love hidden and shielded by fear and hurt. This fear and hurt stems from the unknown, family tied together by blood and marriage and common law adoption. Yet broken apart by unfamiliarity and negative perceptions based upon brief past encounters and exchanges with words spoken or unspoken years ago, often by those who have long left us for glory.
We are here in 2013 and we don't know each other and we are still afraid to get know one another. Yet each one has said "I wish we could get together and spend time and just hang out." Yet some how the past comes back and blocks the love and brings the fear and reminds of the hurt. It is amazing we all want the same thing, to connect and grow closer as a family, yet when given the opportunity to come together and overcome the fear and heal the hurt we start to reach out and suddenly we pull back.
Family it is time to break the cycle, it is time for a new beginning. No, Florida is not the end all and be all of our family's path to a new day, but I believe deep in my heart it is a start. Or least it was intended to be. The vision was to go somewhere far enough to be free and let down our guards and close enough to encompass our whole family. For us to step out of our comfort zone, fear and hurt, and let the love flow and what better place than at the "happiest place on earth."
Going to Florida is about going to new place, new, physically for some as they have never been, and also new mentally and emotionally for each of us and the family as a whole. This was about working together to accomplish the impossible, to overcome all the negatives--not knowing each other, not having enough money, not getting to spend time with each other. Life is busy and times are hard so it takes planning that one set time when we are all free to get together and making it a big to do so we can work together raising money toward a common goal, building a bond, to reward ourselves for such an achievement and celebrating together. That's what this trip to Florida was about.
At least for me, that's why I planned it and am fighting so hard--to see that everyone gets what we want our family coming together in love. That's all a reunion is to be about.
What I found in each branch is a lasting love hidden and shielded by fear and hurt. This fear and hurt stems from the unknown, family tied together by blood and marriage and common law adoption. Yet broken apart by unfamiliarity and negative perceptions based upon brief past encounters and exchanges with words spoken or unspoken years ago, often by those who have long left us for glory.
We are here in 2013 and we don't know each other and we are still afraid to get know one another. Yet each one has said "I wish we could get together and spend time and just hang out." Yet some how the past comes back and blocks the love and brings the fear and reminds of the hurt. It is amazing we all want the same thing, to connect and grow closer as a family, yet when given the opportunity to come together and overcome the fear and heal the hurt we start to reach out and suddenly we pull back.
Family it is time to break the cycle, it is time for a new beginning. No, Florida is not the end all and be all of our family's path to a new day, but I believe deep in my heart it is a start. Or least it was intended to be. The vision was to go somewhere far enough to be free and let down our guards and close enough to encompass our whole family. For us to step out of our comfort zone, fear and hurt, and let the love flow and what better place than at the "happiest place on earth."
Going to Florida is about going to new place, new, physically for some as they have never been, and also new mentally and emotionally for each of us and the family as a whole. This was about working together to accomplish the impossible, to overcome all the negatives--not knowing each other, not having enough money, not getting to spend time with each other. Life is busy and times are hard so it takes planning that one set time when we are all free to get together and making it a big to do so we can work together raising money toward a common goal, building a bond, to reward ourselves for such an achievement and celebrating together. That's what this trip to Florida was about.
At least for me, that's why I planned it and am fighting so hard--to see that everyone gets what we want our family coming together in love. That's all a reunion is to be about.