According to Genealogy.com, approximately 200,000 families hold family reunions each year. More than half of family reunion coordinators say their primary reason for holding a reunion is to keep in touch with other family members. Another quarter of coordinators hold reunions in an attempt to introduce their children to their family heritage. There are many other reasons why people hold reunions: to celebrate a birthday or anniversary, to get together one last time before someone dies, to carry on a regular tradition of getting together, and more.
It is a common occurrence at my family’s funerals to hear someone say something like “it’s a shame we only get together when someone dies”, or “we really need to get together more often, and not just at times like these”. I imagine these words are spoken at funerals throughout the world every day. Maybe hearing someone say this, or saying it yourself, has sparked an interest in holding a family reunion.
I personally would live to hold a family reunion for my father’s side of the family. Before taking on the task of researching my genealogy, I never knew how many Gamble’s there were in my immediate area, and all of them are related to me! Family is just something that my father or grandparents never talked a lot about, and we sure didn’t go out of our ways to visit with our extended family growing up. I have always found this sad. I would love to meet my relatives. I can’t be the only one.
Whatever your reason is for considering holding a family reunion, it is important to know that this will no only be a gift to yourself, but also for every other member of your family. Throughout the next few days or weeks, I will be talking in detail about the ins and outs of planning a family reunion.
Have you ever held a family reunion? Why?