The Clemence Family Reunion!

On a pleasant Saturday afternoon in August,  My Grandmother's side of the family invited me to join them for their annual Family Reunion.   And this year....I accepted. 

To fill in a little background, I have not seen these people in well over 30 years!  I can barely remember the last time and only ball-park the age when I attended the last one.  (Possibly in high school!) Many of the people I would remember have passed on... including my Dad!   So I was prepared to go in blind as far as recognizing and correctly identifying my cousins.  And the few aging folks of that previous generation who happened to be still alive, I was prepared for them to not remember me.    A lot has changed in 30 years!

Chrissy,  my contact, was 14 years old when I last saw her.  (I would have been 11)  She found me on Facebook and invited me while asking for my Brother's contact info along the way.   We had an epic chat and it planted the seed of "reunion" into my brain.   And I have been thinking about it ever since.   

Quite honestly,  I was never really "in" to family reunions.   Mostly because there were very few kids our age to play with.  And after I got old enough to split away on my own,  I simply failed to ever go back ...and drifted away....Into all of the other things that tether us to this world. 

But recent events have enlightened me to the forgotten benefits of family and friends.   People who remember you and your parents and can fill you in on the parts of life that never made sense to you on your own.  Parts that you might have missed while you were out there trying to make your own way... alone. 

But within minutes, I was  connecting with all the people who barely knew me. Or people who only knew "Of me"   through second hand stories.   Like chatting about a shared history without ever actually meeting face to face.  Call it... Magic. 

 I jumped in helping set up the big tents and tables.   Within an hour, we had the big stuff set up and ready for people, who began trickling in a few at a time.   Even though the event was to take place on Saturday, guests ( like me) who had to travel could show up early and either camp in the yard or guest rooms in the house.  I got to camp outside in the cool in one of the tents they provided.  

On Saturday,  I woke up early and drew a quick chalk drawing in their driveway, to help folks know they had found the right place.  One of those things that I do. 

Ganaderma. ( Artist Bracket.)

One of the family members used make a living as an artist using Ganaderma ( Also known as "Artist Bracket".)   as his media.   It is nice to know that there are other "artists" in the family.   And Mushroom Guys!   

There were many "Creatives" in the family.   And I got to chat with a few of them.   I don't usually like big crowds very much, but as the folks began showing up, I found a few of the family that I recognized and hung out with them for the majority of the time.   Namely:  The Oxfords. 

"Uncle" Ernie.(He's bigger in real life.)..

The Oxford side of the Clemence lived  in Michigan ( And Ohio)  and one family lived right across the road from us as I was growing up.   My Dad and "Uncle Ernie" ( Another close-by Oxford.... He is really a second cousin... but who cares about titles?)  used to do all kinds of things together and we would play with Chuck and Ruthie because they were our age. 

This guy is 80 yrs young!

I even managed to link up with Wayne,  (one of the Oxfords who lived across the street.)  and got to fill in his story. He was older than Eric and I were, but I looked up to him because he joined the Army and gave me all of his medals and swag when he got out. As a kid, I thought that was the coolest stuff, and wore the "mosquito wings" on my green hat for a very long time. ( He was possibly one of a long list of reasons I wanted to join the Army.) 

Wayne Oxford.  A "retired" hero!  

He fell onto hard times.   And Dark times.   But he has managed to come back and  now serves as a counselor for addicts and people in recovery.  I wish him well.  Sometimes it takes a tragedy for a person to find their purpose and path in life.  And it looks like he has finally found it. (Wisdom comes at a high price sometimes.)

Sharron and Lonnie.With Uncle Glen

And so it was that I met my Cousin Sharron.    When I first saw her, I thought I was looking at my grandmother!  We rattled off names of the people we knew who are now long dead and found that it was unbelievable that we had never met previously.   (She thought I looked like my Dad.)  Perhaps the previous generation is not as dead as we think.  Instead... They continue to live on in us. 

In more ways that one. 

My cousin Sharron filled me in on the life of my Uncle Mertin. (Mirtin?  Mirtain?..My Grandma's Brother.) A "black sheep" of the family, according to everyone I had ever previously talked to.  Sharron was his daughter.  And she saw first hand what he did and why he did things.   Turns out,  Uncle Mertin and I had a lot of things in common.  

White Elephant time!

He hated to work at a job.  He was an artist and a driven worker.   He was rather bad with money, and he always wanted to run his own business.   Having no one to guide him through the jungle of entrepreneurship, he failed.... a LOT!   ( Just like me!)   And he ran out of time before he could find his golden moment of success. 

Joel Lucus was the MAN!

But  using money as  the only measure of success is very limiting.   His children fared far better with many successful moments.    And then.. the next generation (His grandchildren) has managed to find the success that he searched for his entire life.   Perhaps passing on knowledge and drive to be successful business owners takes several generations.  

Fire side S'mores!

The family has plenty of stories of addictions... And failures.   Every family has them, but perhaps the Clemences have slightly more than normal.   ( What is "normal family failure" anyway? )  But along with those stories come recover.    And comebacks!    And success that outshines the dark beginnings and previous failures.   Stories I would have never heard had I not come here this weekend.   Stories that give me hope that my own failures are not only survivable,   but, with the help of God, will lead me to a successful life I would have never imagined.  And so I'm thankful for Family.   Even the odd ones. 

Break Time!

There were a few moments where I wondered how I got here.   "Here", as in Michigan.... It is very "unlike" me to do something like this.    Visiting distant relatives who were not as distant as I had once thought.  Seeing faces I could not recognize, yet sharing stories that I already knew.   It was a surreal experience.  Dad had always wanted me to join him at one of these reunions while he was still alive.  With Mom gone,  perhaps he felt the same pull for family I am currently feeling.  But I was always so busy with "other stuff." or was too far away to make the trip.  Funny how things change.  

Spiritual Healing by the fire.

So without drifting off and ending on a sad note,  I just wanted to say that I am very happy that I made the effort to come here this year.   And reconnect with the people I have not seen in decades!  Where else can you go where you can instantly relate with people who are total strangers?  (Maybe the Army....Which is still a family!)  Perhaps shared experiences help bring people together and keeps them linked through space and time.  Whatever the universal secret is,  I am thankful and grateful to have family.   Even odd ball ones.  Because life is short.   And every second counts.

The Clemence Family.    August  2023.