Sweet grace.
That stitches together the moments of brokenness and of rejoicing, the mistakes and the triumphs, the funerals and the birthdays, the harsh and the gentle, the passionate and the logical, the miscommunications and the choruses of laughter, the old and the young. Grace. That loves above and around and between the selfishness and the smelliness and the silliness. Grace. That I have tried to put into words on a few occassions…
The unconditional love that radiates from this family is powerful and moving. I have been left speechless time and again as I have watched you do life together, do life with me. Always, in the days leading up to time spent with you, I am filled with excitement and happiness because I know that wherever you are gathered, there will be love. There will not be perfect cicumstances. There will not be perfect choices. There will not be perfect people. But there will be love…unconditional, uplifting, life-giving love. So, during this Thanksgiving, I want you to know that I am thankful for you. Thank you for showing me what real love looks like.
Well, here I sit, the end of Thanksgiving Day, and I am overwhelmed with how blessed I am. I am sitting in a mountain lodge in Branson, Missouri, watching the entirety of my extended family play a game of hearts. My cousin just flashed one of her shy, irresistible looks at me…as if to say, “You know I’m cute…love me”…and I do. I love them all. Just to be with them, to be in a house full of about 30 people, all who share an unconditional love for one another, is a powerful experience. It doesn’t get much better than that.
Because it’s beyond any of us. Words cannot draw lines around it or appropriately highlight its hues of stirred hearts and inexplicable love. I can never quite wrap it all up because it’s all only a shadow of True Grace.
*Linking up with Chatting at the Sky today.
just wow.
you are blessed.
and you know it and live it.
wow.
You are indeed so very blessed. I have dreamed of family gatherings like the one you describe. They don't happen quite that way for us, but still, i'm thankful for the reminder from you to embrace the grace I have been shown and given. So good.
I am thankful for you and your gifts!