To Inspire:

Tomorrow Mark and I (and our spouses) will be attending a family reunion, on our mother’s side. Mom’s maiden name was Weaver, and this Weaver Cousins Reunion has been going on for years. We meet at our cousin Maggie’s home (and her husband, Rob) and it’s an afternoon of catching up, eating, and sharing memories. Our mom was one of four children and among them they had 12 children. It is that group of cousins, along with their spouses and some of their children (and their families) that will gather.

Mom grew up on a farm in Licking County, near the small town of Etna. Her father (our grandfather) was a farmer and the local school bus driver. He and our grandmother were wonderful grandparents – right out of a Norman Rockwell painting!  Mark and I and our two younger siblings spent many days on their farm: helping grandpa with the chores, sitting on the back of the tractor, riding the old plow horse, helping grandma with her pies and canning, resting under their big weeping willow tree, and enjoying the simplicity and beauty of farm life. Because all 12 of us cousins were often there together (Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, etc.) we have many shared memories that continue to bond us together all these years later.

As society has gotten busier and busier and people move away from their hometowns, family reunions are not happening as often as they once were. It is hard enough to keep our own immediate families connected, let alone extended families. But there is something special about cousins and extended families coming together to celebrate their common lineage and to witness firsthand that they are part of a larger family that went before them. Shared memories, shared values, and shared love are important parts of a healthy family and healthy society.

All 12 of us are grateful to my brother Mark for being the Weaver family genealogist; he researched and documented our extensive family tree and uncovered many stories about our ancestors. If your extended family relationships are not as connected as they might be, perhaps you can reach out to your siblings and cousins and explore ways to bring the family together from time to time and even document your family genealogy. Family life is such an important part of a great life – let’s live our great lives in ways that include our family – we’ll be thankful we did!

Have a great weekend!

Written by Matt Palmer, Partner & Co-Founder