Burkholder 2008 Reunion

Gas prices rising, too many people you will not connect with on the level, not enough time, this all seems to lead to one conclusion; staying home looks like the better option. Traveling out to Ohio to the Burkholder 2008 Reunion seems pointless. The words are flying out of my mouth right into the ears of my in-laws. This is traitor material, this is a killjoy daughter-in-law.

I cheerlead constantly. High road, let's travel it, grumblers all end up at the same spot and here I am heading in their direction. This is not a cheerleading moment for me now, I am the designated downer!

My mother in law sadly looks at me. She reminds me of the value of family reunions. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I grow concerned at my cynicsm, what is happening? I love meeting people, I love discovering other's lives, I know how to question, I enjoy ferreting interesting facts from people. If it weren't for those rising gas prices I would be persuading, "C'mon we'll make the trip fun, this is family..." But my faith is tested, as the gas prices rise my faith is going down. You know the song.

Then He hits me between the eyes, the clarity of vision is 20/20. He will not allow me to see from hindsight the benefit of the Burkholder 2008 Reunion of twelve siblings with their families and extended families. He wants me in the front row and He will bless our efforts to road trip in hard times.

We are the host family this year. The flow of the reunion lies in our hands. Big events are what fill me with energy, lots of energy, here is a big event of a lifetime. The reunion is small and only 160 or so are registered, small??? I begin to research the name of my eighty year old father-in-law's father, David O. Burkholder. Jackpot, he is successfully goggled.

David O. Burkholder is a man to know. I start to print from a Beachy Mennonite site about my husband's grandfather. I am ticked, why doesn't Lynn,my husband, know this stuff, our children need to know this man. I am pulled into a stream of history awed at my lack of initial insight and grateful to God for pulling me up short. (my status in life in more ways than one)

Today there is a Youth event still in existence from sixty years ago David O.Burkholder had a significant part in birthing . His name is everywhere on this site. I spot a catechism written by Peter Burkholder from a time zone that seems so far away. This too is a relative of my husband. My interest, my excitement mounts.

We travel to Ohio where we will host the Burkholder 2008 Reunion at Rosedale, a place I hear so much about. Our trip is tandem with Lynn's sister and husband. Jim, my brother-in-law winds our way to a park for a lunch break. We eat, relish in each other and talk reunion. We are traveling out a day early to be in front of the power curve, it's about time.

Rosedale is peace, a presence of God is inhaled. The flat lands are vast, endless, expansive and all I see is a picture of God's grace. Big Al who runs Rosedale with the most kicked back buisness savy I have ever seen is showing us our welcoming accomdations. This is going to be a weekend that will last beyond the earthly time restraints of forty-eight hours. We have front row seats.

We unpack, laugh, talk constantly amongst ourselves, no one feeling vanclempt.
We hop in our suburbans to seek out the best pizza place in town. To have customers, and a lot of them, hailing in near closing time has to be quintessentially bitter/sweet. They are gracious pizza makers and good at it to boot.

The next morning we set up "Headquarters." Reunions have hit the techno stage and ours is no exception. Two computers and a printer and we are ready to register. We discover we love this, is it the power of telling people where their rooms are? Is it the thrill of scheduling events for over 160 people, we are in the lead? You bet! This was too much fun for a family to have on any given weekend.

No one could ever guess my pathetic intial reunion thoughts as I learn to know my husband's amazing family. I have questions that my father-in-law and I have created enabling the children to know their grandparents. I am Master's of Ceremony for Burkholder Sibling's Reminiscing. How did I get this priviledge? I grabbed it, no hiding that.

I come away from that weekend, an entire week later I am still running on the fuel that I refueled with at the Burkholder Reunion. You want to know something crazy? This was the weekend the gas prices dropped! Again I learn that circumstances are not the directors, the Living God directs despite them!