Our family, at least my parents, brothers and their wives and children, rarely get together. Actually, until this weekend, I can only remember one time ever. Overall, when we spent that one-week together was good, but it had it rough spots in the early days. This week is off to a very different start. For a wide range of reasons, we all seem know that the weekend is special.
I honestly do not thing it is the fact that we are getting together to celebrate my parent’s 50th anniversary is the reason for a difference. When I reflect on the gray hairs around me, kids romping and having fun, as well as our interest in spending time with each other, I see much that is different. I see adults that are interested in spending time with each other, catching up and sharing events that matter in each of our lives, as well as just enjoying the next generation.
There are moments that can take on meanings that only they own. I can thing of great dinners with friends, usually defined by the conversations as much or more than the food. I easily recall experiences where the experience fixed itself in my memory because of the person who was there. Imagine hiking through Helsinki on a bitterly cold, gray, and dimly lit day while finding hot chocolate, tropical plants parading themselves in dull windows, and an extremely ornate yet empty church along the way. What about a dip in the Baltic after midnight with ice floating around you? Then there was the experience of cutting down the loft walls while hoping that the mess would not offend the lady of the house? Could I know how reading a book aloud together with an adult friend every night before I went to sleep would change my life forever?
Gatherings change our life. The reason is simple; “a wise heart takes orders; an empty head will come unglued.” (Proverbs 10.8) Take care; gatherings are an opportunity to experience and share God. God is here, always with and for you.
