Last week I accompanied my Aunt Lee and cousin Jacquee to a family reunion in Nebraska. My grandmother, Kathryn Grieser Kerler was the 12th of 13th children born to a German Mennonite family. The Grieser family reunion has been ongoing every three years since 1967. None of us descended from my grandmother has ever attended until this year. My aunt turned 85 years old this year and wanted to go back to see her cousins and the home where she grew until her family moved to Portland when she was twelve.
The highlight of the reunion is an auction. Family members bring all sorts of things from homemade jams to a piano stool used by one of the 13 siblings to a bottle of Kentucky moonshine. My contribution was a colorful quilt I made out of homespun cottons, which seemed a fitting choice. The winner was Kayla who told me how excited she was, because she had wanted a quilt for a long time. Me, I’m thrilled someone who really wanted it got it. An added bonus, Kayla is moving to Portland, and it will be fun to introduce her to extended family members. Our auctioneer was funny, moved the pace right along, and at the end, over $3000.00 was raised which will be used for the next reunion.
The auction table with my quilt on the end.
The fabulous auctioneer
Kayla–happy winner of the quilt
