Sunday, December 12, 2010

Christmas and Family 'Reunions'

Margaret Troyer Post's descendants and spouses/children
I just got home from my sister's house where we had a Christmas party/family reunion.  We had not had a family get together in 15 years.  We had to travel from Arizona to California but it was well worth the time/effort.  I've been planning this reunion since before Labor Day and it was disappointing that out of 130 descendants of my grandparents - Elmer Troyer and Mary Motzko Troyer that only 26 showed up for the reunion.  But let me tell you we had the cream of the crop when it came to the descendants.  Elmer and Mary had 2 children - my mother Margaret Troyer Post and her sister Dorothy Troyer Haines.  Four out of five of Margaret's children (now the 'elders' in the family) showed up with spouses for the party.  Dorothy had 4 children and all of them showed up.. Several of the next generation came (grandchildren of Margaret and Dorothy) and one of the current generation of great grandchildren. 
Dorothy Troyer Haines' children/spouses

I felt sad that more of the younger ones did not come.  Some are just too busy with raising families and others just don't care.   But I'm really excited because 2 of my cousins brought me some awesome "older" pictures...some going back to the 1800's, and I received many pictures from after the turn of the century.  I'm ready to scan away at these.  Another cousin told me she had a box full of pictures in the back of one of her closets...she says that I really wouldn't want them because they are undated and there are no names on them and they are 'really old'....I'm still working on her to let me borrow them.  She's hesitant to give them up even for a little while.

The older couple sitting in the bottom picture are my oldest cousin and her husband.  Both are in bad health, she has Alzheimer's and he has Parkinson's disease....they were both such a pleasure to have at the get-together...there were a few problems getting them there but we finally worked it out...it would not have been the same without them.  She spent quite a bit of time flirting with the guys!  She may have lost her memory but she has not lost her sense of humor!

Genesis 1:22   And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth.



Mary Post Warren
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3 comments:

  1. It was a really great to see the Post family, my aunts, uncles and cousin. Glad it worked out to bring my parents. My mom kept commenting on the way home "What a wonderful day it had been and great to see everyone - several times." Howard was so sweet with the both of them. What a wonderful, caring man he is. My dad really enjoyed visiting with him:) Thanks again, and hopefully put my picture up soon!
    Jeanene

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  2. Hi Mary, Each year we have a get-together for my MIL's parents descendants on Christmas day evening. I've been going now for 17 years, and it seemed not too many of the younger ones wanted to attend. Happily, in the last few years, mom's kids children are showing up with their little ones! Mom is the youngest of 12 children, so we have to rent the community center for our family reunions. I think there were seven of the original 12 there last year.
    Thanks for stopping by my blog and following me, too!
    XoXoXo
    Joy

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  3. You make me realize that it isn't the number of people who attend but the spirit of the people. I guess I share the same sadness that the younger family members don't want to attend. I have so many wonderful memories of big family gatherings when I was young, I wanted the next generation to have that too.

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