Somewhat Random 5 for September 20, 2026 – Lots of reunion talk

Happy rainy day for those in the northeastern US – There is something peaceful about a steady rain. It’s cleansing, wiping away the tears of the week. The rain is appreciated although we are expecting several days of it. At the end of the week, I will be begging for sunshine and complaining of mushrooms growing in my wrinkles. That’s how it goes but for now, I’ll enjoy the solace.

Family reunions – We had our family reunion yesterday. The weather held out although we didn’t get the sunshiny day predicted. It was great to see everyone. There is always a surprise, sometimes a good one (engagements) and sometimes not (unwanted medical diagnosis). This year the sick bug visited. We had two families that couldn’t make it because of illness. We missed them. One family had the youngest members of the clan (who provide a youthful energy and encourage us to play games), and the other one had elders. We carried on in their name.

My sister-in-law at her 90th birthday party six years ago

Speaking of family – Every family has those people that light up a group. We have my 96-year-old sister-in-law who will entertain until the day she dies and my grandniece who is all about glitter, sequins (in a good way) and a laugh that makes you laugh. They didn’t disappoint. I expect my SIL will be taking a nice nap today to restock her energy.

Then there are the helper bees – The hostess and her husband both had medical issues. She had surgery on her hand and was splinted up. Her husband had something going on with his knees. They did a great job (with help from others in the tribe). There was enough seating, places to eat comfortably and we were able to talk (which is the most important part). There was a lot of food (that’s a requirement of our reunions).

The thing about families – We share the same gene pool so it’s not unusual to compare traits and medical issues – the good, the bad and the ugly. One grand niece was complaining that she inherited high cholesterol from her grandfather but not his dimples (which her mom has in spades). My nieces and I share some of the same medical conditions but are lucky that none of the BIG ONES run in our family. Genetics are a crap shoot and we are blessed. It was another one in the books and a good one too.

So how was your week?

50 thoughts on “Somewhat Random 5 for September 20, 2026 – Lots of reunion talk

  1. Congratulations to your family for having a big yearly reunion. With families spread out across the country and the world, many of us are finding it hard to get together. Making it regular and fun, as your family seems to do, is a great way to stay in touch.

    Our family reunions have been smaller and less frequent, but it’s always great when we do pull one together.

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    • When we did the big reunions (when I was a kid), it got hard. Too many people for one person to host. My part of the family (siblings and offspring) are less than 30 so that’s still doable but sometimes finding a date that works for everyone is hard.

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  2. It sounds like it was a nice get-together, despite the host/hostess having medical issues. It’s nice to get together and see one another and keep up with family news in person. I remember getting a typed/xeroxed Christmas letter of someone’s happenings that year, a newsy little letter, that really pertained more to family than to friends. I was surprised the first time we got one.

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  3. Always love it when families get together. We’re such a big and widely dispersed tribe so we do waves of reunions. This week my sis from Maryland will be arriving. It will be a whirlwind visit but it’s always good to see her. Your SIL’s face just lights up. What a joyful looking family member!

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  4. Congratulations to your family for keeping up the tradition of an annual family reunion. It sounds like you had another good one. I’m guessing that the annual family reunion is the exception. We had a small one three years ago. It’s about time we tried to organize another one.

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  5. It’s nice that you have annual reunions. We get together for weddings and funerals, and even then the kids (now in their 30’s) are largely absent since many live 2000 miles apart.

    Sorry. I don’t mean to whine. :D

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