Family Ties

We lost Uncle Jim (Wilkins) yesterday after a valiant struggle following several heart surgeries. The best news is we know he is with his Lord and Savior in a much better place where there is no sadness and no pain, and reunited with those family members who have gone before! That can put a big smile on your face, just thinking of that wonderful reunion, and we get to join them soon. (I do believe our time here is getting shorter!)

One of the best traditions of the Wilkins' family was their annual reunion. I remember the first one I attended after Barron and I married. The reunion locations alternated between Georgia and Alabama each year and this particular time the event was near Lake Jackson, GA. The strange thing was that Barron, having been away in Vietnam for several years, didn't recognize some of his distant kin so I didn't feel quite the stranger, and years later I still remember some just from that event, and got to know some much better over the years.

One thing you knew you would enjoy at the reunion was the meal. Those ladies (and sometimes men, as my husband is one of the best cooks around these parts) knew how to cook downhome southern style, and there was always a very large assortment - from fried okra to sweet corn to fried chicken to wonderful desserts - sometimes even homemade ice cream.

My leap into family genealogy came out of the family reunions. My mother-in-law had particularly asked me to trace her family tree, so I would come prepared to these gatherings with notebook and pen, and strive to get as much info as I could from people I was just beginning to know. I continue to pursue genealogy and especially learning more about our families, where they came from, how they worked, raised their families, worshipped.

Uncle Jim -- you were loved by your wife and children, your extended family, your church fellowship. You will be lovingly missed!!