We're heading to a family reunion on Saturday for a family we’re not even part of.
We're going out to our friend Wanda’s house in Republic tomorrow, something we used to do on a regular basis but haven't since the scourge of Covid. We eat a lot of great food, show pictures of our latest excursion overseas, and visit with all of our friends out there. Seeing as how most of them are related, although we’re not, it’s like a family reunion.
A very nice family reunion.
This all came about because of, like many things in our life, Loraine. One of the first people she started researching for her huge World War II project was a young man from Republic named Elden Gjers. She found his family had donated a lot of his letters to the Republic Historical Society, and through those letters we were able to meet his extended family of surviving cousins, all of whom are among the nicest people on the face of the planet. Over the past decade and a half, we’ve been drawn into that extended family, to the point where Loraine’s now considered a relative (and I, as always, am also allowed in, thanks to my role as her chief photographer and geeky sidekick).
The “family” members often joke that thanks to Loraine they’ve reconnected, and have seen each other more in the past decade than they did in the decades previous. And I honestly think that’s thanks to things like our little annual jaunt out there. In years past Wanda would invite everyone over, including a few extra special guests, usually people we haven’t met yet but who soon get added to the “inner circle”. She cooks up all kinds of different soups & dishes, and everyone eats way more than they should while talking and smiling. Then we haul my laptop out, show a bunch of pictures and crack a bunch of jokes, and visit some more until everyone heads home happy.
Of course, this year may be a bit different, because it's the first time in four years that we've done it. In that time, some of the people who would join us every year have died, while others have moved away. I have no idea how many people are left or who will show up. I guess we'll see.
Every year, too Wanda sends us home with food and with recipes, and for that, I couldn’t be happier. As everyone I’ve ever met out there always says, if you leave Republic hungry, you didn’t try hard enough. These little “reunions” at Wanda’s are certainly proof positive of that!
It’s funny how you can get drawn into families, especially ones with whom you share no DNA. When we first met them, we had no idea who they were, or what their history was. But now that we've had these little “reunions” over the years, we get to find out what the kids are up to, which people aren’t feeling well or have recovered from some medical problem, and all the other little things that make up the ongoing story of a family.
A family that we, apparently, are now part of.
That just one of the many things we're doing this weekend. Hope your weekend is just as fun!
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