43 years and counting....

STONE FAMILY REUNION: 43 YEARS AND COUNTING....

It started with a hope, a simple but profound hope to connect. Rarely in our world today do we strive to stay connected. Our relational tethers break and strain over the years. High school friends come and go, college friends fizzle, we meet and greet, build and depart, connect and disconnect on repeat over the course of our lives. These ten siblings decided to be the exception.

In the hopes of staying connected to each other they chose to do something truly remarkable. They chose to be with one anther...no matter what life might bring their way. Not only did they choose this for themselves but they created a legacy which continues to last four generations and 43 years later. This unique legacy is what my family calls the Stone Family Reunion. 

Held for the last ten years at Lake D'arbonne in north Louisiana, nearly one hundred family members gather for one week to celebrate life. We cook, play, laugh, and smile our way through seven days of absolute fun! It would take many blog posts to fully incorporate all that we do and how amazing this week truly is, but here are some of the highlights!

The Stone Family Reunion only comes around once a year. I've grown up going and I will always chose to go...no matter what. People think we are crazy for wanting to spend a week with our family....then again they've never experienced this one! I am lucky to be a part of such an amazing group of people who genuinely care about one anther. 

What people rarely understand is that the Stone Circle doesn't last just one week...it lasts all year long. No matter what life may bring outside of our time at Lake D'arbonne we are in it together. We pray, support, and encourage each other all year long. We visit when we can and we are always willing to lend a helping hand if needed. 

The bond that binds us, the blood that makes us, the beauty held within the reunion is the authentic love we give to one another. It this legacy that the original ten shared all those years ago. It is this tradition we carry with us. It this legacy we pass on to the next generation. 

-Authentically Me