July 21, 2008 - The 1st LaMar and Ruth Elison Family Reunion! EVER!!

Let me just start by saying, "FAMILY Rocks! FAMILY Rocks!, Hello Hemet!"

• So let me tell you little story about a man named LaMar, an Idaho dairy man who liked to drive the family car, then one day he was wadin' through some poo, when out from the town came a doctorin' dude, allergies that is, dander, farm life. Well...the next thing you know LaMar ain't a millionaire, but the doctor siad, LaMar you gotta move away from here, said Californie is the place you gotta be, next thing you know he's moved to Calvary, street that is, orange groves, punch buggie cars.

Last summer my cousin, Sean Reid, passed away. While my family was calling each other in the need to feel connected, my cousin Sharon (Elison) Pearson said that she wished she had grown up knowing her cousins better. I really wish that for her too. Her desire plus my grandfather's fear that he would never sit in the same room with all of his posterity, helped me make up my mind that a family reunion was long over due. So I did it!

I along with EVERYONE else who helped me: My sister Emily who listens to me whine on an almost daily basis (and because of her inpending 8th child wasn't able to make it, even though she was with us in spirit), my sister-in-law Meghan, who ran around with me all week mostly to cut out apples for our family tree, my DAD! who did all of the pre-reunion work in Hemet which was most of it, my mom for giving Meg and I free reign of the Ellison machine at the library, my sister Tiana and cousin Sharon who helped set up for the luncheon with me. My brother John who made me long envisioned family tree, Aunt Jeane and family for providing drinks, Uncle Brent and family for breakfast food and lunch salads, Uncle Ritchie's kids (Marsha, Kathleen and Patricia) for chips, Phil for manning the breakfast grill and for everyone who just came and supported us. Patricia Elison, Uncle Ritchie's daughter, received the furthest traveled award; all the way from Virginia Beach! And if I've failed to remember something please chalk it up to my too human weaknesses.

So the morning started with an 8 a.m. breakfast at the park. We had Aunt Jeanie, her son Stephen and family (wife, Heather, Matthew, Rebekkah, and Kaylie), her other son Stewart, her daughter Kaelene's boys (Ethan and Evan, Eli was at a baseball game), my clan, and Uncle Brent's family, and of course Grandma and Grandpa! I think Phil's favorite part of the reunion was manning the grill.
Then kids with parents and grandparents went to the library to a bug specialist who was kicking off this year's Hemet Library summer reading program "Buggy for Books" while Sharon, Tiana and I set up. Because so much was done by everyone in advance, this part was easy, and we gladly excused the adults to enjoy the Bug Doc with mom. Unfortunately, opening and closing day of the summer reading program are mom's two busiest work days of the year. So the reason you don't see her in my pics is because she unfortunately couldn't get any time off until Monday. But she was able to join us later for the luncheon.

Our theme for the reunion was "The Apple Doesn't Fall Far From the Tree". We had 49 people attend the luncheon and it was so much fun. I especially enjoyed Jacob just running and running with so many boy cousins. There were the Necochea boys (Ethan, Eli and Evan), Nicholas Reid, Matthew Reid, and the Pearson boys (Rodney Kale and Gavin) who unfortunately aren't in this picture.

John, Meghan and I had made a great big apple tree with the trunk representing Grandma and Grandpa, and each limb representing their children's families, apples for each member of their posterity. It was fun and kind of awe inspiring to see how many people have been given the gift of life because of the marriage of two people, Ruth and Lamar Elison. And how each of us fits into our great big family.
Two of my favorite verses in the Old Testament of the Bible. There it is written that the prophet Elijah will return to the Earth again before the second coming of Christ. It reads, "(5) Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord: (6) And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers..." (Malachi 3:5-6).

This has been my blessing this past year. I have had the spirit of Elijah in my heart and in my home as I prepared to reunite all of my family for the first time. Many couldn't make it because of money, time, work conflicts, etc. So my smaller goal wasn't accomplished but my larger goal was, at least they know that we love them and we wanted them with us.

I just want to say thank you, to each of you who participated, for making this so much fun and as I pass the hat to Sharon for the next reunion, my heart is a little saddened to miss out on what I hope is as a great an experience for her as it was for me.