Help a Family (Reunion) in Need

 

I’m pretty much a sucker for charities and fundraisers. I’ll keep a few dollar bills in my purse for donation jars and people selling things outside of stores. If someone needs a few bucks until payday, John and I help out.  

 

This time the request was a little, um, unconventional. A family friend called a few months ago. “I could really use your help, I’m in a bind.” Our answer was, “Absolutely! Just tell us what you need.” Little did we know… 

 

“Glad you asked! Our family reunion is celebrating our fiftieth anniversary this year. Yes, we’re very excited! We always meet at this lovely place down near Palestine, Texas called Lakeview Methodist Conference Center. Unfortunately, our numbers have been dwindling, and we’re in danger of losing our spot. Could you join us?” 

 

Technically, we are family. Well, in a roundabout sort of way. John married into the Garza family many years ago, and his child is a blood relative. When John got divorced, her siblings voted to claim custody of John. We’ve received invitations to the reunion in the past, but declined to attend. But this invitation came with a plea for assistance. And we said yes. 

 

It was an interesting experience, attending a family reunion when I’m not related by blood or marriage. Most everyone knew John from his past attendance, and welcomed me with open arms. This reunion was for the Ward family, John’s ex-wife’s mother’s mother. If you looked up the definition for the word “competitive”, you would see a family photo from that annual gathering. The entire reunion is a series of tournaments, with teams and scoreboards and trophies. Those people don’t know the phrase, “we’re all winners here.” There were no participation trophies. 

 

This year’s theme was Harry Potter, including a sorting hat for choosing the houses. John and I became part of the Ravenclaw house, and we wore our blue bandanas proudly. We declined the fishing and water balloon toss competitions in ninety-degree weather. We refused ping pong (it started at eight o’clock in the evening, too close to bedtime). As for spoons, it sounded more dangerous than hiking a live volcano. Several years ago, a participant received a lifetime ban from the game. A few years later, the tournament was temporarily halted to transport a competitor to the emergency room. He returned to continue the game, with his broken finger in a splint. That spoons tournament is still referred to as the Great Game of 2011, although I’m not sure what was so great about it. 

 

You might worry that John and I didn’t hold our own with this competitive family, and they might not invite us back. Not to worry—I carried the Ravenclaw house to victory, thanks to an intense game called “Stick the Dot on Harry Potter’s Scar.” 

 

Similar to Pin the Tail on the Donkey, each person starts with his/her team bandanna blocking the eyes and a color-coded sticker on an index finger. After spinning around three times, the person must go forth and stick the sticker as close to the center of Harry Potter’s lightning scar as possible. Thanks to my prowess at sticker placement, Ravenclaw swept the competition. John and I have six-inch plastic trophies to prove our superior skills and agility. 

 

No doubt we’ll return to Lakeview Methodist Conference Center next year. Who knows? Sticker placement could be an essential skill again. 

 

Jann Goar Franklin graduated Russellville High School in 1989. You can reach her at jann@jannfranklin.com