Hey, everybody! Reader here, and over the weekend, I made the trip home for something I had been looking forward to for a while, since the idea came up… a Read family reunion!
It seems like nowadays, the only time families seem to gather en masse, is for weddings or funerals. So it was decided to make a get-together happen this summer.
We had some relatives from the U.K. branch of the Read family tree coming over this summer, so the reunion was planned in order to coordinate with their visit.
Our family homesteaded in the Conquest-Bounty area since the early 1900s, and the farm where I grew up received the Saskatchewan Century Family Farm award back around 2013 or so, so we have pretty deep roots in the area.
We rented the former Conquest School (where I took my Kindergarten through Grade Eight) to hold the event, should the weather be less than optimal, and it turned out to be a great move. It was a rainy Friday, but Saturday turned out to be really nice, and we had a great bonfire to gather around that night. And Sunday morning was nice for grilling up breakfast outside and visiting a bit more before everyone went their separate ways.
There were tables with family history books and memories. Some historical documents, such a copies of the original land titles that my ancestors got when they originally applied to obtain farmland. And lots of pictures of family members no longer with us.
There was a ton of visiting, reminiscing and laughing as we reconnected with family that some of us hadn’t seen in decades, or, in some cases, had never met before.
And food. So much food! No one went hungry, that’s for sure.
So many Reads!!! I love it!
My niece Ella said “our family tree is big!” I said it’s much bigger that you ever knew, right? And by the end of the weekend, it was even bigger.
And what really put the icing on the cake, was that my second cousin Richard, from England, was able to be there, along with his daughter Lyn, her niece Becky and her fella Chris. Richard’s in his 80s, and who knows how many more trips he’ll make this way. And Lyn and Becky, I had only ever met through Facebook, so it was fantastic to meet them in the flesh.
Hopefully, we’ll have more chances to get together in the future.
As we were all saying our good byes on Sunday morning, many of us were saying the same thing – “We need to do this again – soon!”
That would be wonderful.
I must say, it had been waaaaay too long since we had a huge family gathering like that. In all, there were about 70 of us in attendance.
And it was an absolute blast. I think we all needed a big “family fix.” It reminds you that even though families tend to go their own way, and live their own lives, when you make the effort to do something big, we all love making memories together.
In fact, me, my brothers and their families had one more bit of fun on Sunday afternoon before heading home. We all headed to the swimming pool in Outlook and had some fun before hitting the road.
I know many people don’t get along with their families. Human relationships can be complex, complicated things. But I consider myself very lucky. My family is pretty close, and the more memories we get to make together, the better!
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