Family Stories

In this episode - Family Stories . . .

When you travel, you will frequently meet new people, and the conversation may lead to the question, "Where are you from?”

“Cuba,” - then I wait for their expected response.

“Havana?” They ask.

“Nope, Havana is about 19 miles from Cuba on the Illinois River.”

“Cuba, Illinois.” Hah, ha!

People furrow their brows, squint their eyes, then smile as they finally get the joke. This always elicits a chuckle and sets a friendly, humorous tone for the conversation.

What reminded me of this, you ask?

When handed the microphone, this was my running joke at the annual Ball Family Reunion on Saturday, August 12, 2023, hosted by my aunt Deanna Ball in Fairview, Illinois. I’ll admit this was probably the first reunion I’ve attended in about 50 years. Followers of my blog may know that my father's side of the family had nine children: Lawrence and Helen Ball's kids, who lived in rural Canton, Illinois. As each sibling married, they had, on average, four children. Do the math: husband, wife, four kids, times nine! When we get together, we are quite a crowd.

Many of my father's siblings have since passed away. However, their children, some of whom I had never met (see photo), have started their own families with many children and grandchildren. According to Deanna, as of this writing, there are now 190 direct descendants from Lawerence and Helen Ball.

Not surprisingly, many attendees had known me since I was a baby. My mother and I immigrated to the United States in 1959. I was excited to hear their stories; they are a valuable part of the recesses of my memory. As I write my memoirs, I realize how much was left unsaid or forgotten from those early days.

I recognized many familiar faces as we approached the park's tree-shaded pavilion. We exchanged warm hugs and kisses, and as I looked each person in the eye, clasping their hands - unexpectedly, tears welled up in my eyes. It was a glorious feeling of warmth and family.

Allow me to share a story when I met Charles's first wife (Dad’s oldest brother), who traveled from Wisconsin to the reunion.

Barbara - “I remember the day when you first arrived at Grandma's house with your Mom.”

“Charles drove with Grandpa to pick you up from Midway Airport in Chicago. There were no Interstates back then, and the trip was long. Charles had spent time in France, and he could speak some French. Everyone feared no one could communicate with your mother.

We all waited for you at the house, and when you finally arrived, it was dark and very late. You were so cute, the curly-haired French boy that did not speak English; everyone smothered you and your mother with hugs.”

Patrick - “How long did we stay at Grandma’s house, do you know?”

“Doc returned about four weeks after you.”

There was tons of food and dessert at the potluck family gathering, but fortunately, no Jello salad. Who remembers orange Jello with suspended carrot shreds?

Deanna had organized a trivia game about our Grandparents’ families. I was clueless until everyone shared their stories. However, when the microphone was passed, they were asked to speak in front of the group - complete silence!

Anyway, attending family reunions and upholding traditions is a delightful experience. If you have a Facebook page, encourage everyone to post and identify people in their photos - I’m terrible at remembering names.

I'm Patrick Ball; thanks for listening. See you in the next episode.