Family get-togethers

When I was growing up, my mother's side of the family had a yearly reunion in a neighboring state.  It was held on a Sunday in the state park about 2 hours from our home and my grandmother's sister and cousins would all come and people would sit around and visit.  The reunion started in 1960, the year I was born and I think it was the only time my mother missed going until the late 1990s. 


In watching all of our home movies, I have seen the way things have changed over the years.  The women were all in dresses and heels and the men had on suits.  Even the kids were dressed in their best clothes.  My mother would spend all day on Saturday cooking when the event was first held.  In later years, there were boxes of chicken that people would stop and purchase on the way.  I can remember the homemade desserts and the cakes that were 4 layers high, that were later replaced with a store bought cake in a plastic container.


As things changed and people could not attend because of work or choir practice or other functions that were important, the attendance grew smaller.   The family members who wanted to keep it going were no longer able to do so. 


Times are different now.  Homemade ice cream takes too long to make and we just can't sit for 2 hours while it freezes in the churn.  People live in neighborhoods and they don't have a yard big enough to play softball or horseshoes.  It's easier to meet in a restaurant to eat and not have to cook or clean up. 


The weather is getting warmer and the days are getting longer.  Think about getting together with some old friends.   Be prepared to laugh and have a good time.  And if you need something to bring your food in, I have a container that you can borrow. 


It belonged to my mother and she used it many times to take food to the Bailey reunion.  It's full of good memories.