HEAP REUNION 2011

I'm pretty sure that the Heap Reunion is the highlight of the year for my kids.  I know it was for me when I was growing up and I'm so happy that my kids love it as much as I do.  judging from the turn out of cousins every year I think it was the best week of the year for all of us and we all want our kids to have the same memories as we do.  

This year it really hit me how important things like family reunions and family traditions are.  Here we have 4 or so generations of kids and adults, 1st cousins, 2nd cousins, 3rd cousins.... and they are all getting to know each other and are building bonds that are unbreakable.  For most of these kids this is the only time that they see each other all year but they feel like they know all about each other and have so much fun talking about the fun things they did in years past.  I know that my cousins and I still do this & it is such an important part of my life.  

I think that if I could only go home 1 week out of every year I would choose the Heap Reunion week.  

SOOOO much effort goes into making the reunion a success.  I realize more every year just how hard it is for the mom's & dad's to get everything together to go.  I am so very very thankful to my parents for all the hard work and effort that they put in every year.  It's not always easy to go camping with little kids, in fact it's not easy at all but we do it because it's important.  Our parents did it cause they knew how important it was for us to build the family ties.  At the end of the week when I am exhausted from ZERO sleep and the kids are so so dirty and on a sugar high for weeks and everything we own smells like campfire smoke, I say that I am not doing it again.  But those family ties are strong and they start tugging at my heart and I can't not go.   We may all go home exhausted and dirty but we also go home with our hearts full and memories made and so thankful for the family legacy that we have and are able to carry on.  It's hard but it's so very worth it.  

If you don't have family reunions or family traditions I say start some.  

I like to think that all our ancestors who have passed are smiling down on us and LOVE to see us all so happy together.  It's worth the effort.