Recently, my husband and I attended family reunion. There were lots of people there and plenty of good food, but my favorite part of the reunion was listening to the amazing stories told by older members of the family.

The stories they shared about the lives they live and the things they went through growing up were like fuel for this writer’s imagination.

It made me realize I’m a bit jealous of the simpler times in which they lived. And I could sit at their feet for house listening.  

Many remembered using wagons and horses to work in the field. Everyone in the neighborhood would come together to help each other with their crops.

After a hard day in the field, swimming in the neighborhood creek was a special way to cool off and relax and enjoy a picnic with their neighbors.

And each summer, everyone in the community getting together for a revival that lasted several weeks where there would be fellowship and worship.  

Many of the people at the reunion still live in my rural community, and have been neighbors with each other since they were children. I miss that. The world was so much smaller back then. There are times when I wish we could go back to those days before progress and technology made it too easy not have those face-to-face talks with the neighbors. The community get-togethers where everyone showed up. Back then, if you wanted to know how someone was doing, you didn’t check their Facebook page, you went to see them.

Though the world is different, we can still have those moments with the ones we care about. All we have to do is pick up the phone, or better still, go for a visit. You might find yourself at the neighborhood swimming hole with a picnic lunch enjoying a simple afternoon with friends and family. And what better way to pass the day.

All the best…

Mary Alford

www.maryalford.net