Family

Yup….

They show up….

They show up at all the marrying’s and burying’s….

Wearing the same black dress and newly cleaned suit…..

Same tears and same jokes……

The same weirdo’s….

The same wiso’s…..

We call them family…….

Not sure what everybody else calls them…..

We all have this network of people that we were handed……

And we are stuck with them…..

Every family has a weirdo, wiso, jokester, drama queen, quiet one, verbal one, fixer type, trouble maker…..

Every family has it normal folk….

Every family has it abnormal types…..

We might all have common DNA but the similarities stop there….

One can only wish…..

Couple normal abnormality with the emotions of weddings and funerals and you get the best and worst…..

At weddings, the best always show up….

At funerals….

The worst……

Grief makes us do funny things…..

We respond and react on an emotional level that at other times we might be embarrassed by ourselves….

But grief gives us license to do so…..

It is during those grief times that our true selves is manifest…..

The weirdo gets weirdo….

The wiso pontificates wisely….

The fixer fixes…

The worker works….

The verbal ones verbalize…..

The quiet ones get even quieter……

The jokester’s jokes keep on but are way to hollow…..

The trouble maker accelerates the trouble….

The busy body busies the busy bodying…..

The drama queens more dramatic than normal…..

The kids all play in the yard, squabble a bit and then tramp mud into the house…..

And all grieve…..

This thing called family is God designed…..

We need each other……

We accept each other for what we are….

We love in spite of personality quirks…….

We didn’t get to pick out our kinfolk….

Custom Designed families are not to be found…..

That is….

We don’t custom design them….

God does…..

I love my family…..

All of you are important to us…..

I accept your love unconditionally……

I forgive your quirks even before you are quirky…..

For your grief is mine…..

And we must all move forward in this thing called grief…..

Leaving no one behind….

None of us need be left stranded on the island of anger….

None of us need be left isolated amid the memories of yesterday…..

None of us should be left trying to renegotiate the facts of where we are….

We grieve together….

We cry together……

We must move forward together….

And family…..

God knew who and what this family needed….

So he put me in it……

He placed you here……

We need each other…….

I love my family…..

rks