One of the most surprising parts of living in Michigan is the number of times I learn we are related to someone either at church or school. This week, while substitute teaching in Art, I learned that one of the elementary teachers is my cousin’s daughter. Corey played soccer with a cousin on his grandmother’s side and a cousin on his grandfather’s side. It only made sense to attend the Tuinstra reunion on a Saturday afternoon.
The meal started with a blessing led by a family member, reminding everyone of the spiritual legacy shared. It is definitely a blessing to know that prayer before meals is an important way to begin. My mind went back to the 2005 sabbatical in the Netherlands where we attended several family reunions. References to Christianity were lacking. Church attendance, for some, consisted of weddings and funerals.
Table conversation included a variety of topics and one focused on Tuinstra recipes. I brought the Tuinstra cookbook and asked about one recipe in particular– Baby Food Bread. Apparently, two small jars of baby food make this bread tasty! She also talked about using orange juice in banana bread to allow it to stay moist. I remarked on one of my favorite food items– jello fluff! My mother-in-law, an excellent cook, talked about her beer meatloaf recipe, chock full of venison and pork sausage. I had to take a picture of it! The orange pot even matched the table cloth!
The most surprising part of the reunion was the auction. At the end of the meal, chairs were repositioned to focus at the back of the room where one uncle auctioned off a variety of items. All proceeds went into the Tuinstra Fund, used for flowers and rental fees. Auctioned items varied, but the popular ones included homemade pies and candy. The lively atmosphere was peppered with laughter and jokes. We laughed over the bare butt angel!We laughed over the bare butt angel!! An announcement at the end of the auction encouraged everyone to attend the late grandparents’ 120th wedding anniversary to be held in 2020. ” How can we get more young families to attend?” they pondered.
We ended the afternoon in rather a unique way by visiting the cemetery where Mitch’s grandparents were buried. It was a reminder to me again of our 2005 sabbatical when we visited the cemetery of my late aunt and uncle. Do other people actually visit cemeteries of relatives? It’s not really a topic of conversation in most circles.
Attending family reunions always reminds me of the blessing of understanding the past. I am grateful for our faithful grandparents who desired generations of believers.
A Journey Worth Remembering 