Family

My mother is an only child, and we don't have family reunions--I don't think. My parents were divorced when I was little, so I also lack that sense that "these people are family," some kind of underlying certainty that doesn't change. For me, family shifted when I was small, so it's not a rock-solid certainty that I put much trust in.

However, in the last two days, I have spent a lot of time with family. One event was my husband's stepdad's kids and a grandson. The other was my mom's aunt's 90th birthday, which included all kinds of family that sprung around her. My daughter joined me in both events, and we had a great time. Family is such a different thing than friends. With friends, you spend time on the assumption that you value this connection. With family, you spend time together because the link is already there, and then you get to evaluate who you've met and what you think. The link remains whether you like them or not. I can tell that my daughter is like me, in that we simply enjoy being connected to people. The greater the variety, the greater the enjoyment. Being around family is always good: if you like them, you think, "Hey, I'm related to this great person. How cool!" If you don't, you think, "Wow, I'm doing better than that!" Either way, it feels good. (Okay, the second isn't particularly nice. Sorry for being a flawed person.) And I like putting together a cheese & cracker tray that looks artful--who wouldn't enjoy that?

I feel the same way about church. If you attend my church, you're family. You are "in" with me, no matter what I think about your personality or body odor or political opinions. We are connected by our Father, and I enjoy the connection. Despite having a somewhat broken emotional understanding of "family", that word is still redeemed with me. Family is good.