Family Stories

The Lawson family has a reunion each year about this time. Some years it’s really well attended and other years it’s mediocre. This year we celebrated Aunt Margie’s 80^th birthday so the clan was out in force. Boy there were a lot of people there that I didn't know – and I was related to a number of them.

One thing that I do love about reunions is the chance to catch up with those that you DO know and that you haven't seen in awhile. This year, for whatever reason, we cousins were particularly interested in talking about a few family stories that had been floating around about how our parents left their childhood home.

We all know that our parents had a collectively rough childhood, but it was really confirmed this weekend. In short, I learned that all three of the younger girls (Ann, Tootie and Millie) ran way and that two of my uncles were kicked out of the house.

Millie was the first to go. Her future husband, Joe, picked her up at the end of the driveway and took her north to Duluth to live with her older sister, Louise. Next, I believe, both Otto and Johnnie were kicked out of the house. My mom (Ann) can't remember why they were kicked out or where they went right away, but eventually Otto went into the service and Johnnie married Margie.

Then came the little girls. I've known for a number of years that my mom and her sister ran away from home, but it’s still rather disconcerting to think about the circumstances around this action. For instance, my Aunt Tootie could have left my mom but she chose to stay until Mom graduated from high school. Then they were both picked up at the end of the driveway by Aunt Millie.

My mom was a little confused as to why I would want to know these stories and why they should be shared with others. Easy, these stories show me many things – family loyalty, sibling love and respect for education. Of note though, if you know my mom, don’t mention this blog to her. J

So next time you have the opportunity to hear some family stories, take a moment to think about what you’re really hearing. What do your family stories tell you about your loved ones and your heritage?