- After attending her first reunion in 2018, Jessica Johnson wrote an article for the Newsletter:
“My First R-CA Reunion: Reflections of a Millennial.”
Please consider attending the next reunion and bringing your millennial children and grandchildren as you read Jessica’s article.
Most of you reading this have never met me. But you know what? We’re family. And, as I recently learned, that’s worth something. Without a doubt, attending my first RCA reunion this fall showed me the value of family in a totally new and wonderful way. To give a little background on myself, I’m the granddaughter of Nell Margaret Shafer, whose father was Franklin Asberry Roark. For years I’ve heard stories of reunions that my mother attended growing up, but never having witnessed one myself, I was unknowingly missing out on an entire branch of my family.
With the exception of 2 people, never in my 25 years had I met anyone else who attended the reunion until this year.. However, I soon felt like I had known these people my whole life. The overwhelming joy of instant family who welcomed me with open arms created an incredible sense of belonging.
In this day and age where individuality is so highly valued, it was indescribably refreshing to experience being part of such a warm, loving, and fun family, regardless of what part of the country we came from, what our backgrounds were, or even our age.
Besides the wonderful fellowship, the richness of our family history also made the reunion well worth coming to. Actually visiting the homestead where my great- great-great-grandfather Joseph Roark lived, and the overgrown woods where my grandmother grew up gave me a perspective on, and an appreciation for, my heritage that I could never get from a history book.