Quote of the Day: You can kiss your family and friends good-bye and put miles between you, but at the same time you carry them with you in your heart, your mind, your stomach, because you do not just live in a world but a world lives in you. -Frederick Buechner
If you don’t recount your family history, it will be lost. Honor your own stories and tell them too. The tales may not seem very important, but they are what binds families and makes each of us who we are. -Madeleine Engle
How will our children know who they are if they do not know where they came from. unknown
I wish I could relate to the people I’m related to. -Jeff Foxworthy
These great quotes and more on family and reunions can be found on the Family Reunion Blog.
Last weekend, the Aalgaard’s had a family reunion. It’s Thursday afternoon, and I’m just now finding the mental space to reflect and write about it. Relatives arrived on the family farm from various places in Minnesota, Oregon, Wyoming, Canada, and Norway. All winter, we sounded the call “The Norwegians are coming!”
In the year 1921, my grandpa Arne Aalgaard got on a ship and sailed to the New World. His siblings scattered far and wide. A few remained in Norway. One went to Canada, and a couple more ended up in other parts of the U.S.A. One brother died in China when he was there as a missionary. They stayed connected through letters and other correspondence and visits to each other if they could. I know that my grandpa traveled back to the homeland whenever he could. My brother wrote about this on his blog, Wandering Norwegian, a couple years ago as he was renewing connections.
Three generations of cousins
Not everyone could make it to this reunion.
We represent the various generations.
Reunions may not be the most exciting things for kids. They played some games, ate tons of food, got a glimpse of where they came from, and if they were listening at all, heard a few family stories.
No matter how far and wide you roam, you are still part of a family whose stories are your stories, whose blood runs through your veins along with their hopes, dreams, desires, and hardships.
Go. Create. Inspire!
Journaling Prompt: Ask a living relative to tell you his or her story and write it down.
All the way from Norway! That’s great you guys could get together when you are so wide spread.
Great photos! Everyone seems so happy!
My Dad’s stories always get a little ‘tall’, somewhere in there he manages to weave in ‘…an then the Giant Octopus rose up…’ or ‘I was surrounded by twenty-sevent armed assassins…’
Looks like you had a great time 🙂
Hi Mary! Looks like the family reunion was fun. That is so cool that family from Norway was able to come to the reunion.
Hey Mary,
Love this post for many reasons, but especially because you guys made it happen… so many families talk about the reunion, but it fizzles out and never takes place…
Good on the Aalgaard family for walking the walk… (wow, you have a lot of “a”‘s in your name 🙂
Sounds like you had a wonderful time at the reunion! It’s nice that you have a big family with so many cousins. I don’t have any first cousins, so I really appreciate those who do. Julie
I haven’t been to a family reunion since I was 15. I remember going to Missouri and everyone thought I was so cool because I was from California. I don’t really remember anyone–just that they thought I was cool.
I’ve always enjoyed getting together with relatives. My family has always lived so far from other relatives that it’s always been a treat to have the times to get together.
I envy your family reunion. In my 61 years I’ve only been at about 2 gatherings that could be officially called reunions. It would be fun even though I hardly know most of my relatives.
Lee
Wrote By Rote
It’s nice to see families keep in touch! The quote by Madeleine Engle reminds me of something that my granny used to say. After somebody in the family would die, she’d tell us that it was important to keep them alive in thought and and conversation because, “they are never really gone, until nobody remembers them.” I’ve always thought this was one of the most healing and comforting things I ever heard in those situations.
I’ve been to so few family reunions. It’s hard for me to get a grasp on my family history, and even harder for my husband. I enjoyed all the quotes, but the one from Madeline L’Engle really got to me.