Friday, July 15, 2011

Belonging

Coming back from a family reunion in Connecticut, I spent the week thinking about my family. Each of my six siblings are married, many have kids and all have faith. In our days together we went to the depths of our relationships with our spouses, selves and God, answering questions like what first drew us to our spouse and what are the hot buttons in our relationship. We talked of cleaning quirks, the Frito question (see post of Fritos) of what we changed after getting married, and sharing thoughts on what we love.

The eighteen cousins said they loved things like, ice cream, playing with their Cousin Chloe, swimming and video games. What I loved was having my older sister to run with, stroke my head and tell me she loves me for being me. I loved how one of my sister-in-laws masterfully engaged our hearts while managing the food, the activities and ensured everything happened. I loved the intensity of a brother-in-law who challenged our patterns and tried to get at what was behind choices; to be in the work of observing why we do things.

It felt satisfying to see everyone belong to our family. The kids played, the men drank beer and the ladies bustled in the kitchen and I didn't worry about who was included, if someone would be offended or what I looked like. I wonder if this is what heaven might feel like, just sitting around pondering who we are in a space where we are unconditionally loved.

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