A different reunion

Aden Springsteen and Verda Case were married in the closing weeks of World War I, known then as The Great War. Their wedding also occurred soon after the deadliest outbreak of the 1918 flu pandemic. This year we have perhaps gained a new appreciation for the impact of that health crisis.

Verda, known to many of us as Grandma Olsen, loved to gather her family together. She was the moving force behind the annual Case and Springsteen reunions.

The pavilion at East Riverside Park in Belding has been reserved for our family on the last Sunday of July as it has been for many years. Given the health risk of gathering in large groups and sharing food, even outdoors, I suspect that this year’s reunion might not be well-attended. Those who wish to gather should do so without recrimination, but would Grandma want anyone in her family to be afflicted by well-meaning attendance? I printed and addressed reminder cards to encourage attendance at the 2020 reunion but decided not to mail them.

Whether you choose to attend or to sit out this year, please be mindful of our family. Grandma would expect no less.