Family Reunion

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...Planned for This Summer

My third cousin Michael contacted Pat and me and is organizing a family reunion in upstate-New York this summer for my mom's side of the family. The invitation captures my imagination, as I can count on one hand the number of times I have seen these relatives since I was eight years old. Historically, we have not been a close, extended family.

To my knowledge, there's never before been a reunion of this family. The idea is so retro and so perfect at once. The names listed for the reunion include the maiden surname of my grandmother of blessed memory and of two other ancestors. My mom might be the oldest-living relative invited; she'll be nearly 84 by then.

Pat's not as enthused as I, understandably, as she has zero history with these people, and one of my relatives imagined as much and said to Pat by phone the other day, "The family's rife with gays," as though that would be an incentive.

The invitation reads in part:

"Saturday lunch and dinner, Sunday brunch, beverages, nosherei, volleyball, bocce, boat rides, tubing, water skiing, lounging, schmoozing … and the fun continues after Sunday brunch!"

Could we possibly use the weekend to have some pure, relaxing fun -- a getaway from the routine of everyday living? I hope so....What a neat time to look forward to, even to the possibility of such fun. Fun and relaxation are never pure, where family's involved, though, are they?

That reminds me: I wonder if my cousin Michelle will be there. Michelle was a couple of years older than I and her mother Ada Helen used to ship a box of Michelle's hand-me-downs to me annually, it seemed, till I was in high school. I hated wearing someone else's clothes. Last I heard, Michelle and her family (husband and kids) lived in New Zealand, so I doubt she'll be there, but....