Just a high school reunion?

Two years ago a buddy from Carl Sandburg High School sent an email to a few friends.  Would anyone like to help put together a class reunion?

Several responded.  We each brought our talents, our joy, and our willing hearts.

Last weekend was the payoff.  A good crowd showed up for the Friday night event.  Many mentioned how glad they were to be there.  Several confessed that the personal phone call from someone on the committee helped them decide to come.  Some flew in; others drove across the country.

Hugs and hearty handshakes preceded fluid conversations as people moved into and out of groups.  Clique boundaries from high school days dissolved as people discovered friends and more friends from long ago.

Some of us even enjoyed a horseback ride.

Many stayed in town for Saturday events and Sunday breakfast.  The committee watched as the reunion became a great success.  What made it work so well?

I have my own take -- that everyone on the committee approached the project unselfishly.  No kidding -- this makes a difference.

We looked at the reunion as a gift to our classmates.  This love included careful attention to details.  Nobody had a personal agenda.   Assorted skills and talents meshed beautifully and were valued and appreciated by all.  The tone was wonderfully inclusive -- decisions included everyone’s input.  Those facing family challenges were warmly supported by the team.

For me the weekend unfolded on a pervasive underlying spiritual element.  It rested on a principle of Love.

Special Family Time

Second cousins bonding

Last weekend, our family gathered for our fourth Family Reunion in, oh, probably 20 years.

While they have not been evenly spaced, each has been wonderful. Maybe this past was the best of all. (Of course, I felt that way after the last one too.) What a great bunch of people!

31 of us showed up, and we had a wonderful time. There were bikes and water activities for the kids. Talented women brought their craft and party skills for spontaneous events.

One spouse makes beautiful glass beads as a hobby, and brought a sampling available for purcase at modest prices.

One couple brought their incomparable pizza/salad skills.

Skilled hands make great pizza!

Dinners were organized by men’s night, women’s night, and catered night.

An uncle, for whom this was his first reunion, commented with happy surprise, “Our extended family is comprised of warm, intelligent, and supportive people...”

I would add to that, “funny” people. One of my impressions is that we laughed for three days straight.

Now the principles of respect, joy, caring, sharing, and unselfed love that brought one family together in harmony and brotherly love are universal principles. They operate impartially for the whole family of man.

Selfishness, criticism, and gossip are foes to peace, harmony, and good-will. They have no place in families, reunion plans, or gatherings of any sort.

One of my prayers in preparation for this family occasion was to honor God, the source of all good, as responsible for gathering those who would be blessed.

Can you imagine my gratitude for the harmony, spontaneity, and good-will expressed?