M is the youngest of six children. Our children are the 15th, 6th, 17th, and 18th grandchildren on his side of the family. Add in 6 spouses and all of that makes for a very LARGE family reunion.
For the past four or five years, we've celebrated the Arnall Independence Day Family Reunion as close to the 4th of July as possible. This past weekend was as close to July 4th as we could get!
The Arnall family tries to get together three times a year - once to celebrate Christmas, once the weekend before Easter for the Arnall Family Easter Eggstravaganza in Tennessee, and once in the summer. Everyone (well, most everyone) makes an effort to attend each of these family functions. Vacations are cut short, work schedules are re-arranged, kid's sporting events are cancelled or forgotten, call schedules are swapped, and kids are even checked out of school early if need be.
I will never forget the first Christmas that his parents had the entire clan to the mountains to celebrate Christmas. AA was 9 months old and I was overcome with emotion as I watched all of her cousins listen to their Grandaddy read the Christmas Story out of the Bible. They were reminded of the real reason for Christmas before they exchanged their many gifts. I knew then that my children would be creating a lifetime of memories with this wonderful family who places such an emphasis on family.
Yesterday was just as touching as that Christmas that I experienced nearly 9 years ago. In keeping with Arnall tradition, we baked 72 cinnamon rolls for breakfast that morning, followed by a short Bible story led by Uncle David. Following our little church service, Grandmother Arnall read a clipping from a newspaper that she found especially touching. With tears in her eyes and a trembling voice, she reminded us all that while we are out skiing, rope swinging, tubing, and simply enjoying the gift and fellowship of family, we should be reminded and we should give thanks to those brave men who literally put their lives on the line when they signed the Declaration of Independence. Many were killed, tortured, impoverished, or even had children who were captured and killed by the British because their fathers had signed the Declaration. She gave us specific examples of specific families. And she reminded us all that they did this so that we could enjoy freedom and enjoy each other.
4TH OF JULY
Have you ever wondered what happened to the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence?
Five signers were captured by the British as traitors, and tortured before they died. Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned.Two lost their sons serving in the Revolutionary Army;another had two sons captured. Nine of the 56 fought and died from wounds or hardships of the Revolutionary War.
They signed and they pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor.
What kind of men were they?
Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists. Eleven were merchants,nine were farmers and large plantation owners; men of means, well educated, but they signed the Declaration of Independence knowing full well that the penalty would be death if they were captured.
Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter and trader, saw his Ships swept from the seas by the British Navy.He sold his home and properties to pay his debts, and died in rags.
Thomas McKeam was so hounded by the British that he was forced to move his family almost constantly. He served in the Congress without pay, and his family was kept in hiding. His possessions were taken from him, and poverty was his reward.
Vandals or soldiers looted the properties of Dillery, Hall, Clymer,Walton, Gwinnett, Heyward, Ruttledge, and Middleton.
At the battle of Yorktown, Thomas Nelson, Jr., noted that the British General Cornwallis had taken over the Nelson home for his headquarters.He quietly urged General George Washington to open fire.The home was destroyed, and Nelson died bankrupt.
Francis Lewis had his home and properties destroyed. The enemy jailed his wife, and she died within a few months.
John Hart was driven from his wife's bedside as she was dying.Their 13 children fled for their lives. His fields and his gristmill were laid to waste. For more than a year he lived in forests and caves,returning home to find his wife dead and his children vanished.
Some of us take these liberties so much for granted, but we shouldn't.So, take a few minutes while enjoying your 4th of July holiday and silently thank these patriots.
It's not much to ask for the price they paid.
Remember: freedom is never free!
4TH OF JULY
Have you ever wondered what happened to the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence?
Five signers were captured by the British as traitors, and tortured before they died. Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned.Two lost their sons serving in the Revolutionary Army;another had two sons captured. Nine of the 56 fought and died from wounds or hardships of the Revolutionary War.
They signed and they pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor.
What kind of men were they?
Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists. Eleven were merchants,nine were farmers and large plantation owners; men of means, well educated, but they signed the Declaration of Independence knowing full well that the penalty would be death if they were captured.
Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter and trader, saw his Ships swept from the seas by the British Navy.He sold his home and properties to pay his debts, and died in rags.
Thomas McKeam was so hounded by the British that he was forced to move his family almost constantly. He served in the Congress without pay, and his family was kept in hiding. His possessions were taken from him, and poverty was his reward.
Vandals or soldiers looted the properties of Dillery, Hall, Clymer,Walton, Gwinnett, Heyward, Ruttledge, and Middleton.
At the battle of Yorktown, Thomas Nelson, Jr., noted that the British General Cornwallis had taken over the Nelson home for his headquarters.He quietly urged General George Washington to open fire.The home was destroyed, and Nelson died bankrupt.
Francis Lewis had his home and properties destroyed. The enemy jailed his wife, and she died within a few months.
John Hart was driven from his wife's bedside as she was dying.Their 13 children fled for their lives. His fields and his gristmill were laid to waste. For more than a year he lived in forests and caves,returning home to find his wife dead and his children vanished.
Some of us take these liberties so much for granted, but we shouldn't.So, take a few minutes while enjoying your 4th of July holiday and silently thank these patriots.
It's not much to ask for the price they paid.
Remember: freedom is never free!
Thanking God today for the sacrifices made by others so that my children can enjoy each other, their grandparents, and their cousins.
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