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 It’s summer and all across America hundreds of thousands of people are making plans for their summer vacation with a destination of a family reunion.  Yessir, families from all walks of life are packing up babies, grabbing old ladies and heading out to the family reunion where they will re-connect to their families, cultivate old memories, create new ones and celebrate being a member of their family at the family reunion.

No doubt months of planning has ensued with hilarity, arguments, storytelling of past reunions…..can’t you just picture the emails flying through cyberspace and the telephone lines buzzing planning these reunions that will go down in family history. 

Magazines have been churning out tips and resources on how to plan a family reunion.  Martha Stewart has tips on software to create a family album and family reunion products such as t-shirts, tote bags and buttons.  There are websites to help you plan a family reunion, send out invitations to a family reunion and create a family reunion website.  Family reunions are big business! 

Along with the normal family reunion rituals such as community cooking, relay races, sandcastle building, family hikes or fishing contests, here are a few other tips for creating memorable moments during your family reunion:

1.  Create a family tree:  Pack up flip chart paper, bags of markers, stickers, ribbon, glue - lots of arts and craft supplies.  During the reunion each family will make their own family tree.  Along with birth, death and wedding dates, add other important dates and information such as if someone is a breast cancer survivor or  hiked the Grand Canyon or did something astounding, creative or courageous.  Encourage family members to create a family tree piece of art.  Make sure there is somewhere to post the family trees so family members can add supportive comments on each other’s trees.

2.  In advance, assign different members of the family to research an ancestor; a great grandmother or grandfather, great aunt or uncle. Bring a photo of the ancestor and be prepared to tell their story to the rest of the family.  Look for strengths and character in the ancestors that members of this generation display such as courage (be specific), tenancity, fortitude, resourcefulness, compassion, leaps of faith.  You can go all out and get the photos blown up postersize and hang them up for the storytelling part of the reunion.

3.  Celebrate each other.  Draw names in advance of the family reunion.  The person drawing the name, calls or meets with the relative whose name they drew and conducts an interview.  Come up with 6-10 questions ranging from serious to silly such as: “What difficulty did you overcome this year and how did you do it?” or “What dreams did you make come true this year?” or “What was your most embarrassing moment in high school?”  Be sure you have questions for all ages.  Then, schedule time throughout the family reunion for the reporters to report.

We at Power of Rituals would love to hear your family reunion rituals.  Please share them so other families will be inspired an movtivated to bring your rituals to their reunions.

Linda Ann Smith
Author, Speaker, Ritual Expert
Power of Rituals

Mother’s are truly the glue that binds families and communities.  The most difficult job ever to be undertaken is that of mothering.  On this Mother’s Day, I am going to take on the mothers that have broken bridges to their children.  More and more I hear stories of adult children that have “divorced” their parents…not for what the parents have done but for what the parents will not do: work with their children to develop emotionally healthy and functional relationships.

I know of two mothers: one that is uneducated, a manual laborer, from another culture with street smarts.  The other holds a Ph.D., born in America with book smarts.  Both mothers are behaving in the same manner toward their daughter.  Both mothers are holding their Continue reading »

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Maria Shriver, in her book Just Who Will You Be talks about loosing herself in her many roles. It’s about a woman, any woman, who gets Continue reading »

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Of course, my meaning is about relationships.  Today a group of Colorado recycling  women gathered for a spring ritual at Anne Peter’s home to pamper our faces with organic, herbal facials.  It was a celebration of women who have collaborated Continue reading »

What woman hasn’t rewarded herself, cured a bad mood, celebrated a triumph or replaced chocolate by buying a pair of new shoes?  Carrie Bradshaw and her girlfriends on Sex and the City demonstrated on a regular basis, how focusing on their shoes made them feel better.  Celebrations around shoes are everywhere: the movie In her Shoes is about sisters and shoes; QBC has a shoe sale to raise funds for breast cancer.  Oprah talks about shoes in one out of five of her programs.  Shoe shopping with girlfriends is just about the best time you can possibly have.

On an Oprah show in the not to distant past, a woman told about purchasing a pair of Oprah’s shoes on one of Oprah’s clothing and shoe auctions to benefit chairty.  The woman took the shoes home and stood in Oprah’s shoes for Continue reading »

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Each year on the third Thursday of March (this year it’s March 20th and is being touted by KOSI Radio Denver), Camp Fire USA encourages you to let kids know just how valuable they are. Write a letter of love and support to the children in your lives. It only takes a few minutes, and the positive impact can last a lifetime. Click here for letter writing tips!

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This past October I participated in the Race the Cure for the Susan B. Komen Foundation in Denver.  More than 50 thousand women walked together, talked the whole way, formed new friendships, supported current friendships all for the benefit of helping each other prevent or cure breast cancer.   I was delighted by Continue reading »