Family Ties

Family Ties

If [a widow] has children or grandchildren, their first responsibility is to show godliness at home and repay their parents by taking care of them. This is something that pleases God.

1 Timothy 5:4

Our eight-passenger van stopped at the single blinking red light in the small Oklahoma town where my husband, Mark, was born. It had been a long trip from Texas on that hot day in July. We arrived at the VFW hall ready to climb out of our vehicle and enjoy the family reunion. I was excited to see everyone and find out the latest family news.

Aunt Janice had brought her most recent scrapbook creation. We reminisced about past family happenings as we perused the beautiful pages full of pictures. The younger children played games outside on the playground, apparently having a wonderful time. Before long, everyone came together to view Uncle Fate’s slide show of old pictures.

Our son, Daniel, yelled out, “Hey, that’s me!” when a photo of his dad as a young boy appeared on the screen.

We consumed a yummy Oklahoma lunch of chicken-fried steak, mashed potatoes, and gravy, all the while chattering about current events, sports, and more family experiences. As the day came to an end, we hugged one another and said our good-byes, thanking God for the family he had given us.

As our six children piled back into the van, six-year-old John seemed annoyed. He asked in an exasperated tone, “Well, who were all those people, anyway?”

“John, those were your relatives.”

Disgusted, he replied, “Humph! I didn’t know a single one of them!”

—Paula Hemingway

Thank you, God, for the families you have given us, and please help us to love and care for them, even the ones we do not know well. Most important, thank you for allowing us to be your children and be part of your family. Amen.