Reuniting: Then and Now

Ever since I can remember my father’s family has had a reunion in northern Mississippi within a few miles of my grandparents’ old house. Although the times and people have changed over the years, some things remain the same.

When I was small, we always had the reunion in someone’s pasture or some kind of park in the blazing heat of summer. People began arriving in midmorning, loaded down with folding chairs, tables, and food enough to feed most of the county.

The food was incredible! My mother always roasted a “leg a’ lamb” with barbecue sauce (I can still recall that smell today) and made a chocolate cake. There was so much fried chicken I don’t see how there was a hen left within 25 miles. Potato salad, slaw, fresh tomatoes, stuffed eggs, hams, roast beef, all kinds of vegetables straight from their gardens are just a few of the items I remember. We always had pies, cakes (heavy as lead, but delicious), watermelon and homemade ice cream. Everything, in fact, was homemade. No one would dream of bringing anything else. I don’t remember what we drank, but it was probably iced tea or co-cola.

My grandparents sat like royalty and ruled over this day. Everyone came to pay homage to them because, after all, if it weren’t for them none of us would be there. People came from all over Mississippi to attend this feast and to visit with each other.

Today we still have a reunion, but it’s not the same. Oh, we still have reigning monarchs: my 2 remaining aunts hold court just like their parents did. They sit side by side with their walkers close at hand and greet everyone who comes in. But we meet inside now (thank goodness!) and in the fall. The food is still plentiful and delicious, but the fried chicken comes in Mrs. Winner’s or KFC buckets, and not everything is homemade.

But the fun and fellowship is the same. And strangely enough, many of the people there (including my sisters and me) show a striking resemblance to each other and to photographs of my grandparents when they were young. Their genes must have been very dominant!