A Blast From the Past - Family Reunion 2009

Today I went to a family reunion on my Grandmother's side. She had 7 sisters - yes that is 8 girls!! My grandmother's mama died after her little sister Carrie Belle was born. My grandmother was only 3 at the time. I cannot imagine what my great grandfather must have gone through raising 8 girls - back in the mid 1920's. He was a very kind man, according to my grandmother and her older sisters helped him raise the younger ones (he did remarry some time after my great grandmother died). She has fond memories of her childhood - square dances, cooking, playing with her younger sister Carrie and the sister that was born right before her (her name was Mary, but everyone for as long as I can remember called her "Bob"...I knew her as Aunt Bob). Grandma told me of her memories of walking down the old dirt road from her house to go to "Uncle Russ's" general store and bring a big block of ice back to the house on hot days...picking cotton (which wasn't such a fond memory because it was so hot out and such hard work). I love to sit and hear the stories of my grandmother's childhood...it was such a different time and place back then, it's incredible how things have changed throughout her 84 years. I often think of how I would have loved to have lived back then with my grandma, and played, shared secrets and gone to square dances...we would have been the best of friends - we really are two peas in a pod!! She is such an inspiration to me...I love her so much. It was awesome to be able to be around all of my relatives from her lineage today. It's amazing to see the faces of children and grandchildren that look so much like each of their mothers and grandmothers...my grandmother's sisters. Genealogy is such a miraculous mystery to me. We've bid farewell to Sarah (the oldest whom they called Tick), Grace, Margaret (whom they called Mart), Kathryn (whom they called Kat), Mary (whom they called Bob)...but, we still have the sweet pleasure of hanging out with Virginia (whom they call Jinx), Wallace (my grandmother, whom they call Wat), and Carrie Belle - she just goes by Carrie these days. I feel so blessed to come from this family of strong, beautiful and most of all loving women!! I certainly had a wonderful time today and look forward to many more reunions such as this...a blast from the past, a peek into the present, and to see the faces of the future that will keep my grandmother and her sister's memories and stories alive...
xoxo -
Kasey