Family Reunions

God must love family reunions,
and tenderly smiles when He sees
Families meeting together,
honoring good family trees.

Grandmas' and grandpas' and uncles,
aunties and neices galore,
Nephews, and look at the cousins!
Bet there's a dozen more!

Here they come, toting their baskets
of chicken and cookies and pies,
Sandwiches, jellies and pickles,
each basket a pleasing surprise.

While spreading their goodies on tables
they secretly taste this and that,
Discussing the newest of methods...
a cake mixed in four minutes flat!

At last it's all ready. "Come, get it!"
they yell to their nearly-starved men.
They pause for a short table blessing,
thanking God for reunion again.

And them, how they really go to it!
One helping? No, usually three!
The food disappears just like magic,
and soon all are full as can be.

The tables are cleared away quickly,
the leftovers all put away.
The big folks just sit around talking,
the little ones rush off to play.

The womenfolk, talk about canning,
the latest in jams and preserves,
And finally get up to fashions...
What's best? The new lines or curves?

They touch upon crochet and knitting,
how difficult parts are connected,
Then all about babies, the new ones,
and those that will soon be expected.

Some fellows start off to play horseshoes
and finally throw a few "ringers."
Some get hold of a bat and ball
and throw what the youngsters call "stingers."

The older men sit around talking,
discussing the weather and heat...
The chances for corn and the barley,
the timothy, oats and the wheat.

They talk about tractors and trailers,
'bout pickers and harrows and such,
And finally get up to taxes, and prove
that they're costing too much.

Then someone call out, "Here's the ice cream!"
No need for a second loud call...
Soon all of them gather together
for ice cream, the best treat of all.

My goodness! It's time to get going...
Just look at the fast-setting sun!
Got to round up all the family,
there's plenty of chores to be done.

Got all the children and baskets?
This way to the old battered "bus"!
Hope that this time we'll get started
without too much sputter and fuss.

The car's getting old now, so I reckon
the tired old engine needs tunin'...
God smiles as the "bus" get's agoin',
and blesses this family reunion.

by Clara M. Bode