Penney Dodson, kneeling second from left, reunited with family members including, in front from left, Tommy Reel, half-brother; Carolyn Eddings, cousin; and Kathy Reel Weller and Debbie Reel Cruver, half-sisters. In back are Georgia Reel Thompson, aunt; Donny Reel, uncle; and Bernice Reel, aunt.“Everything living strives for wholeness.”
– Carl G. Jung
HEARD ON THE TOWN
Three weeks ago, Penney Dodson traveled from West Palm Beach, Fla., to Chattanooga to attend a family reunion. Because she didn’t know any of the people who would be attending, she was nervous. But once she arrived at the Soddy-Daisy Community Center, where the reunion was held, her fears morphed into tears of happiness as each person greeted her with a warm smile and a heartfelt hug.
“Welcome home, baby,” said Georgia Reel Thompson, who wrapped Dodson, 46, in a loving embrace. Thompson, 78, Dodson’s aunt, hadn’t seen her in 43 years. In fact, Dodson had learned only recently that she had an Aunt Georgia. Last March, Dodson found something she had been looking for since she was a teenager – her biological family.