Easter Tsunami 2011

Ivy and I packed our suitcase and high-tailed it up to Arkansas once again for a family get-together at the house of my cousin Joy. This time many people were going to be there – or would’ve been there – if Mother Nature had not decided to hose down the country side with a torrent of rain. It was raining the day we arrived (Friday) and never stopped the entire we were in Arkansas (left Monday afternoon). The flood waters prevented some of our family from being able to cross creeks and make their way to Joy’s house. Flooding was everywhere, but at least we didn’t get hit with Tornadoes like other parts of Arkansas and the South. The storms did interrupted our return flight and caused about a 2 1/2 hour delay. Being stuck in an airport with an energetic 2 year old is kind of tiresome.

But we had a good time anyway at the Family Get-Together. Lots of food as usual, lots of chit-chat and catching up with relatives. We even did the traditional Easter egg hunt despite the rain… only inside the house. This was Ivy’s first Egg Hunt and she didn’t quite get the concept. She would find an egg, pick it up, and place it somewhere else (she’s my little organizer). About half way through the hunt she discovered a room full of toys and that pretty much put an end to the challenge for her.

I don’t remember having family get-togethers when I was a kid. Maybe it is because everyone lived fairly close and saw each other often anyway. Plus, I remember as a teenager I was interested in getting away from family than seeing them more often. But now I’m grown up and have a kid of my own and I realize how important a family connections truly is. In fact, in the past 5 years, I’ve learned more about my ancestors than I ever did when I was a kid. Plus, I’ve been experiencing a little Facebook family reunion and connecting to long-lost relatives (on my Dad’s side) that I haven’t see since I was kid … or in many cases I’ve never met at all.

As for Mom’s side of the family, thankfully someone… I think it was either Mom or Joy…. decided to have a get-together on Easter about 10 years or so ago. The idea was a success and we’ve been doing it ever since! It is really nice to have the opportunity to get together once in awhile. I’ve come to realize that setting aside one day for a group of people connected by DNA and marriage has many benefits including:

• Increased interaction
• Preserves heritage
• Shares history and information
• Strengthens network, increases communication
• Builds friendships
• Creates memories
• Establish traditions
• Fosters a sense of commonality and belonging.
• It is fun

On a deeper level, “Family” provides a sense of identity and belonging – two fundamental elements to being a healthy, functional human being. A Family imparts answers at least two of the most basic, mandatory questions everyone person is compelled to ask, “Who am I?” and “Where did I come from?”. Your family also equipped you with most of your “legacies” – objects, ideas, values, habits, health issues, baggage, curses, blessings, etc – that you now possess and carry into all your present or future relationships. Whether you like it or not, your family was (maybe still is) the programmer of your brain and is responsible for hard-coding almost ALL the values and morals that now guide you in every area of your life. The more you know your family, the better equipped you will be to ‘reprogram’ yourself and avoid some of the mistakes of people who’ve gone before, or keep the good stuff and pass it on to the next generation. Like every family, we certainly have our saints and skallywags, but at least for one day each year we seem to put it all aside and just enjoy each other’s company for an afternoon. 🙂

The rest of our time in Arkansas Ivy spent her time with Grandma and both seemed to really enjoy their time together. I did some work for my previous employer in Arkansas, then drove on to visit some friends in Fayetteville. I left Ivy to spend the night with Grandma which was actually her her first time to stay overnight somewhere else without Holly or I, so I was curious to see how it would go. It went just fine with hardly any fuss or trauma at all (both Ivy and Grandma).

As soon as we returned to Houston, Ivy switched to speaking in Spanish. I was amazed at how fast she switched! My friend Arturo picked us up at the airport and Ivy immediately began jabbering about her trip. At one point she was trying to tell Arturo about “Tio Pancho” (Uncle Pancho).
“Quin es Tio Pancho?” Arturo asked (Who is Uncle Pancho?).
” I have no idea!” I said laughing at her story. Apparently we have an Uncle Pancho in the family.
Maybe this is him….

Overall, it was a good trip. Tiring. Returned to lots of work. But it is all good. I hope to see everyone again next year! 🙂

Here are some great links on things to do and reasons to have a Family Reunion:
USA Today: Importance of Family Reunions
10 Fun Family History Activities for Family Reunions
The Importance of Family Reunions
Family Reunion Success