Today, the word legacy has been ringing in my head.
With my mother’s side of the family, The Wrights, I’m part of building something special. Something that will impact the generations after us. It’s the idea of connecting the family in a fast-moving, modern time.
Family Reunion 2020
The family reunion of July 2020 is being planned by two handfuls of family members that are volunteering to do small parts because of a shared vision to preserve the family connection and history.
The reunion has its own set of challenges – primarily logistics and scheduling. But that’s because of the times and not so much because there’s some dramatic shift in the family dynamic – in my opinion. Because of where we are with internet access and communication devices, family members are willing to migrate outside of the neighborhood. Technology, like time, is only moving forward, so we’ll never get back to everyone living in Tifton and Ty Ty.
However, the beauty in planning a family reunion in 2019 is that we’re trying to pull off getting all of us in one place at the same time during an age where it couldn’t be more difficult. Consider how hard it can be to get 5-10 friends together for a day trip. Think about that, then imagine doing the same for more than 100 people.
Reward in the Effort
For me, the best part is seeing this idea become real from a seat at the table – being included in the process.
For planning, we’re using the tools of today: email, a group chat application, scheduled live group calls, a custom family-run website, and social media.
It’s not realistic to expect every family member can show for the reunion. The bigger picture is that we’re down to make the effort to get every family member there. That’s where the impact is.
Legacy
I think what’s most significant about what we’re doing is that our kids get to grow and adopt these things as norms. ‘These are the things we do to keep our family connected’
Inadvertently, we’re setting a precedent for the next batch of Wright’s to make it happen. Keep those generational ties strong. Preserve that black family culture where we know that there’s always a group of people that look like you who you can lean on or hold up without judgment, with trust, and maybe a little bit of dragging (in love) when you need to borrow money.
It could be grandiose, but I think what we’re building will have a bigger impact on family values than we can imagine.
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