One of
most rewarding ways to use your outdoor living space is to gather your family members for a reunion. Perhaps it's a small group that gets together annually, or a large one whose far-flung members attend every two or five or even 10 years. Whether large or small, a reunion is a wonderful opportunity to knit families closer together through shared stories. In much-underrated 1990 film Avalon, a Russian immigrant to 1940s America relates disintegration of his family ties. In his young manhood, his children gathered at feet of older relatives during family gatherings and listened to tales of their heritage and history. As television took hold of society in late '50s, children and adults alike opted for entertainment of television personalities, instead of stories of their roots.
But just as art of listening to stories has gone by wayside, so has art of telling them. Here's how to re-start a tradition of storytelling at your family reunion.
•Advise all who will be attending that there will be an opportunity to tell some stories about family, and let them know you'd love to hear them share something. Especially encourage older ones to think about their children when they were young, their own childhood, or even stories they may remember from their parents. With only a little effort, you can be hearing about things that happened over a century ago.
•Have some questions prepared to start ball rolling. "Where did your family go on vacation when your children were small?" "How did you and Grandpa meet?" "What's funniest thing one of your children ever did?" "How did you manage through tough times?"
•Encourage storytellers to use descriptions that will engage all of senses. Was thunder rolling in distance just before downpour when Grandma and Grandpa bumped into each other running for cover? Did scent of lilacs in Aunt Ellen's garden waft in through her kitchen window? Was there a cool breeze on beach near family vacation campsite? Did sun sparkle off snow on mid-winter drive to Uncle Max's? Was strawberry jam your mom made sweetest you ever tasted? Use touch, smell and taste as well as sight and sound to bring scene to life for listeners.
