Family Reunion Done Right

A confession: when I was a boy, “family reunion” was not the most anticipated event on the calendar. It usually meant a hot summer afternoon, spent with relatives I didn’t know, eating fried chicken and potato salad. It was probably best described as ‘uncomfortable’, mostly something to endure rather than to enjoy. I was usually one of the only ones in my age bracket. I was never sad to see it come to an end. They were infrequent, but held just often enough to anticipate the upcoming pain.

The Donnell Family Reunion is different. The highly-organized festivities are motivated to honor and re-connect the descendants of Tennessean James Peter Donnell, who lived from 1846-1935. The reunion is championed by his direct descendant, Dr. Ed Donnell.

We’ve just finished the 2019 installment, held every two years at Cedars of Lebanon State Park, just east of Nashville. We meet near the town which was home to the first Cracker Barrel restaurant, and which is also near the birthplace of the famous Goo-goo Cluster Candy (which is “goo-goo good!”) The reunion counts upwards of 100 people for the Friday night through Sunday morning festivities. (I tell friends that we have that many people attend a highly-planned and regular family reunion, and they look at me like I’m speaking Russian; I’ve realized most folks don’t live in that kind of world. It seems incomprehensible to many. Maybe for them the term “family reunion” elicits a not-so-good physical response, similar to what I experienced in my childhood?) Prior to that, several relatives arrive on Monday of Reunion Week to visit and play and eat and catch up. They need extra time to ‘re-unite’, which is, I guess, the essence of a reunion. There are committees, and participation fees, and square dancing (plus the crowd favorite, Chicken Dance), led by the aforementioned Ed Donnell, and assisted this time by a high-schooler, Lyla Tipton. It’s wonderful to see the younger members of the family lineage taking leadership. There were group games and activities. Like this year’s rock-papers-scissors fest, reminiscent of when many of the older ones among the Reunion crowd played the game as children. The newly-crowned champion at the Reunion enjoyed the privilege of wearing the champion’s lanyard for at least 15 minutes, doing so until dethroned by a shouting, competitive relative. Fame was fleeting, but definitely noticed.

Our family was at the first reunion, held at my in-laws’ lakeside cabin at Guntersville Lake, Alabama, in the late 80s. Many of those who attended the early events have passed on. Ed leads us each year in a remembrance of those no longer with us since the last Reunion. This year, one of those he celebrated was his mother, L’Wanna Donnell. She was missed! New generations have now arisen (and the new babies and marriages are given due recognition at the celebration). The young folks continue to come, and from the looks on their faces, and laughter in their voices, they continue to enjoy. Evidence of Reunion Vibrancy is the fact that folks fly in from Australia, San Francisco, and Tucson, and drive from Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Maryland. And that’s just the start of the listing of geographical spread that merges in central Tennessee! Our children regularly and voluntarily attend (unlike my childhood reunion experience which was more like a forced march; see first paragraph). Our daughter Kathryn flew in from NYC, and our David son and his wife Jasmine from Houston. At the 2017 installment, our oldest son John and his wife Lauren attended, but this year they were on Air Force assignment in Peru and couldn’t make it. They hope to be at the next one. The Reunion is special to John, as it has spanned much of his lifetime; we knew from our cross-hemisphere interaction with him in his absence this year, that he was definitely experiencing FOMO (fear-of-missing-out).

This Reunion was a bit different in that the usual cabin habitations, occupied by a bulk of the attendees on-site at the State Park, were not available. So, folks rented Air BnBs, and hotel rooms, and stayed off-site. The massive swimming pool, scene of the regular opening night Pizza Party, was closed, and that difference was noticeable. The regular corn-hole championship did not take place. (Alan Veal just got tired of winning, I guess!)

The reunion gathering always enjoys a very meaningful closing worship service at the Spring Creek Presbyterian Church, established in 1801, originally pastored by yet another Donnell in the family line. This year we enjoyed some terrific family musical offerings by Doug and Alice Adamson and Brian Veal, and a marvelous trio of three generations of ladies, featuring Luci, Bekah, and Kathryn. Four of the youngest attendees, Henry, Jack, Roxy, and Monty took up the morning offering to support the Spring Creek Church. (How could you help but empty your pockets when those little buddies came by?!)

The traditional sermon time was for sharing thanks-givings, especially for things arising out of our family heritage. Some folks shared joys, some shared griefs that they were working through. Some shared of healings and various points of life-progress. We laughed together and cried together. Bekah offered small ‘memorial’ stones to take from the event, using those to help folks to remember how God has been at work in their lives. And that God is faithful, completely. These were reminiscent of the Eben-ezer pillars in the Old Testament, with Eben-ezer being a Hebrew term for ‘rock of help’, erected as a sign to remember God’s intervention. As we left the service for the traditional group photo on the church steps, I believe we could acknowledge that we had met with God.

We always sing Auld Lang Syne at the conclusion of our Saturday evening gathering to mark our connection, history, and anticipated reunion. Without hesitation, we look forward to the available Heavenly Reunion in a place that will be marked by unbroken fellowship, and re-uniting.

The dates are on the calendar for the 2021 version, to be held June 25-27 (with cabins available starting on the 21^st, for those who plan to arrive early and want some extended re-uniting). Plans are being made and leaders have been chosen. Goodness gracious, who could stay away? No one wants a serious case of FOMO!

P.S. Not sure if there will be square dancing or not at the Heavenly Reunion, but surely, the celebration there will never end! No pack-up-and-go necessary at the end—there won’t be an ending.