Aunt Betty's Advice
Stories
Lectionary Tales For The Pulpit
Series II Cycle A
On a warm August afternoon a large extended family gathered for a family reunion. Family get-togethers were an annual event years ago, when the grandparents were living. Now it was once or twice every decade or so. On this particular afternoon, the family met on a farm, complete with a pond and barn. Some of the cousins had not seen each other in twenty years. It did not take too long for the cousins to catch up on what was happening in each others' lives. "You must be Mike," one of the cousins said. "The last time I saw you -- I do not think you were ten years old," one of the older relatives said. There were introductions of spouses and young children that afternoon. There were even some re-introductions just in case someone might have forgotten. "You remember Dave's wife, Dawn. You met at their wedding." The first hour or so all one heard was, "I can't believe how much you have grown -- the last time I saw you...."
What made this family reunion so special was having Aunt Betty and her son, Jim, present. Aunt Betty was a special woman who had lived most of her life in Alaska, far away from the rest of the family. There was a twinkle in Aunt Betty's eye as she took time to greet each niece and nephew and their families, many of whom she was meeting for the first time. "I'm so glad you could come," she would say as she embraced each family member. "There's nothing like being a part of a family. Oh, you can have friends," she continued, "and friends can be helpful but there's nothing like family to support you."
With that she would go and greet another relative. It was obvious that she had missed her family.
There were plenty of smiles and laughter that afternoon. By evening the family shared a meal together. Each family brought food to share. With paper plates everyone stood in line waiting for the food, making small talk with other relatives. Second cousins twice removed sat next to newly discovered third cousins. As they filled their plates and sat down there was silence in that yard, a silence that could not be intruded upon. They were a large, extended family. Even though this extended family seldom had seen each other they were still a part of the family -- connected in a bond that can never be broken.
Sharing a meal together cemented an invisible bond that held this family together.
What made this family reunion so special was having Aunt Betty and her son, Jim, present. Aunt Betty was a special woman who had lived most of her life in Alaska, far away from the rest of the family. There was a twinkle in Aunt Betty's eye as she took time to greet each niece and nephew and their families, many of whom she was meeting for the first time. "I'm so glad you could come," she would say as she embraced each family member. "There's nothing like being a part of a family. Oh, you can have friends," she continued, "and friends can be helpful but there's nothing like family to support you."
With that she would go and greet another relative. It was obvious that she had missed her family.
There were plenty of smiles and laughter that afternoon. By evening the family shared a meal together. Each family brought food to share. With paper plates everyone stood in line waiting for the food, making small talk with other relatives. Second cousins twice removed sat next to newly discovered third cousins. As they filled their plates and sat down there was silence in that yard, a silence that could not be intruded upon. They were a large, extended family. Even though this extended family seldom had seen each other they were still a part of the family -- connected in a bond that can never be broken.
Sharing a meal together cemented an invisible bond that held this family together.
