Yesterday was Mothers Day. In the church we also celebrate the day as Christian Family Sunday. It was fun yesterday when at the “Story Time” I explored with the children what makes a family. When I asked, “How many are in your family?” one little boy immediately said, “Four, my mom, my brothers and me.” His older brother then added in, “Well, that is not our whole family – he is only counting us. We have grandparents too.” It was as if I had scripted it! Because, that is exactly what I wanted to talk about.
We are long past the “nuclear family” meaning, mom, dad and two kids. Families nowadays come in all shapes and sizes. In my own family we have various configurations. I married Carl who had been widowed. He brought with him two adult daughters and four granddaughters. My niece, a single woman, has adopted a little boy; another niece is in a same-sex relationship; one niece happily remains single while others have followed the pattern of marriage and children. My brother and sister-in-law have divorced but their grandchildren enjoy happy times with the family together. We are all in family relationships of one sort or another.
I am not sure when the practice of celebrating “Christian Family Sunday” began but I suspect the folks who initiated it had no idea that by 2015 we would be celebrating family knowing that families can look quite different than the traditional idea of family. I am so grateful that we have grown in our understanding of what family means and recognize it for what it really is – a coming together of people for the good of all.
In the bulletin yesterday we included these two quotes …
“You don’t choose your family. They are God’s gift to you, as you are to them.” ~Desmond Tutu
and
“Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family. Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one.” ~Jane Howard
To that I say, “Amen”!
