The Legacy of the Big Family

Tomorrow afternoon, I will buckle four children into car seats, put 2 casserole dishes in the passenger seat and head to my Aunt Janie's house.  It only takes about 30 minutes, but the anticipation is high and spirits soar when we pull onto the long winding lane that leads to her house, nestled back from the road in the middle of the woods.

I'll barely park before the kids leap up from their seats and dash inside.  I'll come slowly after, baby's hand in mine, moving up the walk, open the door and...

Catch my breath.

There is nothing like it in the entire world.

When you have over 30 cousins on one side of the family, not including their spouses and children and Aunts and Uncles, well, this is what you get.

On an average year, 60+ people.  On a good year, 75 or more.

Long ago, 2 people decided to get married, and this is what came of that.  Gangs of gorgeous children dash around the house, snatching cookies and heading back to the basement to play.  Babies on hips are passed from person to person, everyone admiring the "latest model" in the family.  Those who can't make it are missed.

We are all different people, but the thing that binds us together, that bond of family is so tight and strong that we all know that this is right where we belong.  There is no one perfect here, and everyone has stumbled as they find their way.  Here, in this place, all are loved despite faults and failings.

And I marvel at my kids playing with my cousin's kids and remember that God sets the lonely in families.  And we are so, so fortunate to be a part of something this big and wonderful and Christ-centered.

This year, I am so thankful for my Grandparents, both gone now, who had the courage and the wisdom to have those 5 babies so long ago.  Because of that commitment, I know a love that cannot be replicated anywhere else.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!