Memories

I am in the middle of my third, I think, family reunion in twenty-eight years.  For a host of crazy reasons, it has never been easy to arrange a time and place for the four families to rendezvous.  As I look back, I cannot seem to remember why, especially given the fun that we are having now.
 
Like all gatherings of this type, there are as many conversations about the past as there are the present.  It is fun!  We all remember a differently.  Sometimes I recognize the story and can anticipate the finish.  Yet there are as many or more that I wonder if we are talking about the same period in our lives.  The scenes, individuals, and relationships are so very different!  In some cases, I find myself puzzled.  Was I involved or absent?  Did I ever hear about the story then?  Have I simply forgotten it?  Could I have been that dumb?
 
The great thing about the memories, stories, and retelling, is simply that everyone present has a piece of the puzzle.  They are never quite complete without the others.  Everyone is greater for the fresh retelling!  Even the old ones take on new life with new words, emotions, and a fresh experience.
 
I am looking forward to a day when every member of the family I belong to is together.  There are twelve now, but this would number in the hundreds if we kept it just to the immediate members.  I would love to see how all the creative types react with each other.  I cannot imagine the way the pool would rock, especially with the dogs!  I know a band would come from somewhere and we would dance until dawn.  I can just see one of the kids asking God, “And didn't you once dry up the sea, the powerful waters of the deep, and then made the bottom of the ocean a road for the redeemed to walk across?”  (Isaiah 51.10)
 
We do not have to wait for memories.  We can create new ones, with God and with each other.