Family Reunion Memories

By Tena Lehn Pauls
From Northern Echoes October 1990

The relatives were many
They came from far and wide,
They came in different shapes
And many of different size.
There were the young and the old
And then the in between.
They were blond and they were dark
Also white and grey,
And let’s not forget the many
That had lost it on the way!
We laughed and cried, sang and prayed
And shared with family.
Each one was very special
All in a different way.

My family memories
of younger years
Are all so dear to me.

My older sister was a doll,
I remember boys would call,
I was just out in the hall.
Her descendants, they are three.

My oldest brother and I
Went to public school together.
The first few years in Canada
Were hard for us to weather.
His family numbers five.

Two younger sisters came after me,
Out biggest play was having tea,
Dolls and cut-outs, dressups and school.
It was so much fun – we thought we were cool.
Again, each family numbered five.

The next group in our clan,
Three boys came along – our father’s pride and joy.
 It kept us girls hopping
To please their many whims.
But, knowing girls soon leave home,
They had to learn to swim.
Three years in a row
The bells did toll,
And then the girls
Were on their own.

Now there were cows to milk and calves to feed,
Water to carry and wood to cut
The boys they grew up very fast,
And we were proud of them at last.
Descendants of these three are ten,
And then they multiplied again. 

Last of all, two sisters came along,
The youngest one, the Lord took home.
That left Nellie to be loved by young and old.
She now has a family of four,
And adding our family of six,
Making it thirty-eight all told.

Our home was in the bushland
Near Sonningdale, Saskatchewan,
Where Mom and Dad had chosen to go
When depression struck in ’31.

The foundation that the house stood on
Was stones from on the hill.
The cellar, it was dug by spade,
Was cool in summer days.
The walls were made of trees hewn fine,
The cracks were filled with mud.
The trees on our land made shingles fine
For seventeen years this homestead stood
With children growing up.

The first house at Sonningdale. Painting by Tena Pauls

There were good days, and the bad.
There was new life, also death.
Illness, hardships, tears and sweat.
Our faith was strong, outheld the wrong.
The settlers yearned for better fields,
And thus were moving out.

 At last, my parents also said
“Eastward we will move.”
It saddened them to know
Their family would separate,
For some would stay out west.

The land was sold, an auction held,
And everything must go!
The cows we loved, the horses dear,
And Brownie, our old dog.
The sheep that helped to keep us warm
With wool so soft and white.
The big old table father made
Had room for always more.

A guest, a stranger passing by,
Their plates were always filled.
Four wedding vows were promised here,
And love was everywhere.

Now all is sold, the house is quiet,
The stove no longer warm,
The barn is empty, all is still,
Oh! How our hearts do yearn!

A prayer is said and tears are shed,
And then we bid farewell
To house and barn, to trees and gate,
The flowers beside the well,
And all the other things
Our hearts with love beheld.

We could not know,
We should not know
We’d never see again
A forest fire would soon destroy
The many years of sweat and toil.
The sight beheld before our eyes
Would just a memory be. 

While I’m not quite as good as Jake,
I take my brush instead
And paint the house, the trees and flowers
And whatever else I love.

The second  house at Sonningdale. Painting by Tena Pauls.

The truck is packed
And off they move
To fairer land afar.
Our parents were not young anymore
A home to build again.
The hardships of a lifetime
Were showing now and then.

The boys and Nellie now grown up
Each year the bells did ring.
Along at last, but not alone,  
Grandchildren came along,
And so did death as well.

Father first, we laid to rest,
But mother still kept busy,
She really spoiled the kids.
To cook and bake and feed us all
Was just her great delight.
Our gatherings were many,
And blessed hours we spent.
The west came east, and east went west
And when the twain did meet,
There was a pow-wow every time
And bonds of love increased.

Time went by, the children grew
And we grew older too.
We longed to see the west again.
A reunion then was planned.
None other than at Sonningdale in 1975
My brother had a ranch out there,
And that’s where we did meet.
Bonds of love were there renewed
And memories recalled,
And at the resting place near home,
A cairn there we placed
In memory of our parents and a sister dear.

Ten years later, at Fairview, Michigan,
Memory Lehn No. 2 took place.
From far and wide we gathered,
The time and place was great.

The love for the reunion
Had really taken hold
In 1990 another one we held.
Back west again we gathered,
Where roots were set down deep.
One day was at the homestead
The place where we grew up.
The grass was green, the trees are gone
The buildings all burned down.
But mother’s flowers were still abloom
A token of her love.
My thoughts turned back to yesteryear
When Mom and Dad were still around,
And then I thought, from Heaven above
They surely can look down
And see their loved ones gathered round
At the place so dear to all of us
Because of yesteryear!

Again, time came to bid farewell,
A hug, a tear, it is for real!
And we are homeward bound.
The love in our hearts
The memories shared
Will always be a bond.
God willing, five years down the road
Another gathering we will hold.

God bless and keep us all !