Relatives

We all have them. I grew up with lots. My mother was the youngest of 8, my father the youngest of 5. Every summer we gathered in East Texas at my uncle's lake house for the maternal clan reunion. So many memories tied up in those trips. My father's side of the family lived in the same city. Cousins down the street, aunt and uncle around the corner, another aunt just up the road, and other cousins everywhere!

To me the word "cousin" meant so much: no introduction needed; memories forever back; conversation starts in the middle. Yes, we had some quirky people in the family but they were still family. It was not until years later that I realized not everyone grew up like this or had family like this.

Last summer I went to reunion of the members of a high school church choir. 40 years had passed, but we picked up conversations in the middle. We sang some of the old songs. We laughed and talked and the years fell away. We were bound together by our love of the Lord - and our fabulous choir director! We too are relatives. We came together again a few months later to help a former member in need - his house was falling down around him. Volunteers stepped in and fixed what was broken. We helped our own - he is a relative.

During the month of April, I have met some more distant (physically) family members - brothers and sisters in the Lord who are scattered all over the US. Put us in the same room and we too would start our conversation in the middle. We have a bond. We are relatives.