"And Ruth the Moabitess said unto Naomi,
Let me now go to the field,
and glean ears of corn after him
In whose sight I shall find grace.
And she said unto her, Go, my daughter."
Ruth 2:2 KJV
Sunday I attended the 54th Annual Rummel Family Reunion, up in Nappanee, Indiana. This is my mom's mothers' side of the family, and I can't tell you how many of them I've been to because I have no idea, but I've been to most of them. I've always loved going to the Rummel reunions, even if I don't know everybody's names and exactly who they're related to OR is that how they're related to me. Doesn't matter . . . we're family!
The Rummel family reunions have always been one of the highlights of summer for me. Whether we were at a park and we got to visit the zoo OR play games OR at a cousins house OR on the farm where we got to see the farm animals OR go up in the crop duster plane for a ride over the farm OR a ride in a wagon pulled by horses around the field OR a pony ride . . . Rummel family reunions have always been so much fun and a place where memories were made!
This year I drove up by myself, as the rest of my family chose not to go, again - so it was a long drive, about 190 miles one-way. I left at 6am to get there for lunch at 1pm. I know it doesn't take seven hours to drive up to Nappanee from Mooresville, but I do plan on a good four hours. I left extra early this year so I could stop by Quaker Haven Camp and worship with Friends there on my way up, since I wouldn't be able to worship at Mooresville Friends and get to Nappanee by 1pm. What a great start to the day!
I see family reunions as so much fun! But why?
Well, I think a lot of it is getting together with E-X-T-E-N-D-E-D family. For me this is the only time I get a chance to see many of them and I certainly enjoy the HUGS, food and conversation!
OK, hugs from cousins? YES! I love 'em, they're great . . . even though there are some of those cousins that I was brought up to address as 'Aunt' and 'Uncle' - it was part of that 'respect your elders' that was taught in our house when I was a kid. I do know the difference. I know they are my mom's cousins but to call adults by their first name, when I was growing up just wasn't done in my family . . . and that went beyond just family - my brothers and I also called several of our parents good friends 'Aunt' and 'Uncle.' Even now, as an adult, I address them as 'Aunt' and 'Uncle.' I really enjoy giving and receiving hugs equally. Hugs are always welcome upon arrive but you've gotta give and receive them before you leave as well . . . a year in between hugs is a long time - and sometimes it's even longer!
Food now, what more needs to be said here? Seriously? OK, for all my Quaker Friends out there food at a family reunion, especially when it's the Rummel's or the Jena's, is right up there with any Quaker pitch-in or shared meal that I've ever attended, including the ones we attended and hosted in Ireland and Northern Ireland. And yes, we occasional have the same issue with food . . . heavy on the desserts, or salads, or vegies! Last year we had a table overflowing with desserts! And when that happens it seems to even itself out the next year.
The thing about food at Rummel family reunions is that a lot of it is home grown, which everyone knows makes it that much better! Most of this side of my family are or have been farmers and the rest of us at one time or another have had our little garden plots in the backyard. The little slice of the Rummel family that I'm a part of has been known to get together before hand and figure out what each family was bringing so that if no one else showed up (which never happened) we'd have a meal between us! I remember my Grandma Meller taking cubes of Colby cheese for years . . . for us grandkids. That thought came to my mind as I was trying to decide what I would take for lunch, so Saturday night I picked up a pound of Colby Jack cheese to take with me - but I cut it into slices instead of cubes. Large bowls of fresh picked blueberries and fresh sweet corn have also been seen on the table at our reunions.
There's also something to be said about the conversations that happen at family reunions . . . for some it's catching up on the last year. Hearing all about the family - the kids, the grandkids, the great-grandkids, work, school, vacations and the like. The new babies, the graduations, the engagements, the weddings, illnesses and accidents and also sometimes hearing about the deaths of family members.
After lunch, we had our usual business meeting. Reading the minutes from last year, catching up on all the statistics and such. This year, for the extended Rummel family, there was a bumper crop of new life - so many that I lost track! I was excited to announce the birth of what would have been my parents first two great-grandchildren - Miss Isabelle Ann in December and Master Austin Douglas in May. My first grandchild and my first great-nephew!
Cousin Meryl gave us some updates to the Rummel family history. This is always so interesting! I won't bother you with all the details of my family history, but if you're ever in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania - take note of the 'Rummel Farm!' Yes, that Rummel farm in Gettysburg is part of my family history and part of the history of the Civil War. History is fun, isn't it?
Before and during lunch I had been sharing with several of my cousins (multiple generations) about the Pilgrimage to Ireland and Northern Ireland that I had just returned from. During the business meeting one of my cousins asked if I'd like to share a bit about it with the rest of the family, so I did.
It's never quick or easy to leave a family reunion . . . first, you've gotta say good-bye to everyone. Second, it's giving and receiving that second round of hugs - and sometimes these are longer and harder than the ones given and received when you arrived. And third, it's just hard to say good-bye - you never know when OR where you'll see each other again.
So, where's the ministry in a family reunion? The ministry is in the hugs, the food and the conversations. The ministry is within the generations. The ministry is among the generations. The ministry is in the sharing and the gathering together. The ministry is in our shared heritage. The ministry is in the stories that are shared. The ministry is in the updating of the family statistics. The ministry is in the love that is shared among the members of the family. The whole of the gathering is . . . a ministry. OK, we have at least one minister or pastor if you will in the family, but we don't need that for our family reunions to be a ministry or to minister to each other.
Ministry in a family reunion? You bet . . . at least in my families. God bless the Rummel, Jena, Meller, Christman and the Hagee families.
Note: I didn't take any pictures this year, unusual, so I'd like to thank 'Auntie C' for sharing the ones that she took with me . . . that's why you see me in so many of these pictures!
The Rummel family reunions have always been one of the highlights of summer for me. Whether we were at a park and we got to visit the zoo OR play games OR at a cousins house OR on the farm where we got to see the farm animals OR go up in the crop duster plane for a ride over the farm OR a ride in a wagon pulled by horses around the field OR a pony ride . . . Rummel family reunions have always been so much fun and a place where memories were made!
This year I drove up by myself, as the rest of my family chose not to go, again - so it was a long drive, about 190 miles one-way. I left at 6am to get there for lunch at 1pm. I know it doesn't take seven hours to drive up to Nappanee from Mooresville, but I do plan on a good four hours. I left extra early this year so I could stop by Quaker Haven Camp and worship with Friends there on my way up, since I wouldn't be able to worship at Mooresville Friends and get to Nappanee by 1pm. What a great start to the day!
I see family reunions as so much fun! But why?
Well, I think a lot of it is getting together with E-X-T-E-N-D-E-D family. For me this is the only time I get a chance to see many of them and I certainly enjoy the HUGS, food and conversation!
 |
| My 'Aunt' and 'Uncle' |
 |
| Cousins - one and all! |
The thing about food at Rummel family reunions is that a lot of it is home grown, which everyone knows makes it that much better! Most of this side of my family are or have been farmers and the rest of us at one time or another have had our little garden plots in the backyard. The little slice of the Rummel family that I'm a part of has been known to get together before hand and figure out what each family was bringing so that if no one else showed up (which never happened) we'd have a meal between us! I remember my Grandma Meller taking cubes of Colby cheese for years . . . for us grandkids. That thought came to my mind as I was trying to decide what I would take for lunch, so Saturday night I picked up a pound of Colby Jack cheese to take with me - but I cut it into slices instead of cubes. Large bowls of fresh picked blueberries and fresh sweet corn have also been seen on the table at our reunions.
 |
| Updating family records . . . |
 |
| Record keeping . . . |
 |
| Sharing family history . . . |
 |
| Sharing about my recent Pilgrimage to Ireland and Northern Ireland |
It's never quick or easy to leave a family reunion . . . first, you've gotta say good-bye to everyone. Second, it's giving and receiving that second round of hugs - and sometimes these are longer and harder than the ones given and received when you arrived. And third, it's just hard to say good-bye - you never know when OR where you'll see each other again.
So, where's the ministry in a family reunion? The ministry is in the hugs, the food and the conversations. The ministry is within the generations. The ministry is among the generations. The ministry is in the sharing and the gathering together. The ministry is in our shared heritage. The ministry is in the stories that are shared. The ministry is in the updating of the family statistics. The ministry is in the love that is shared among the members of the family. The whole of the gathering is . . . a ministry. OK, we have at least one minister or pastor if you will in the family, but we don't need that for our family reunions to be a ministry or to minister to each other.
Ministry in a family reunion? You bet . . . at least in my families. God bless the Rummel, Jena, Meller, Christman and the Hagee families.
Note: I didn't take any pictures this year, unusual, so I'd like to thank 'Auntie C' for sharing the ones that she took with me . . . that's why you see me in so many of these pictures!
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