Circle Back Around

Above all these things, put on love which binds everything together in perfect unity.  Colossians. 3:14

A few months ago as I listened to a commencement address, the speaker talked about the importance of staying in touch with classmates as they all go their separate ways.  He called it circling back around.  Afterwards, I began to think how like classmates we are as members of a family. We are like branches on a tree in that we all grow in different directions, but we still have our roots which are the same.

When we circle back around, it gives us a chance to remember parents, grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles who are not present physically anymore, but to whom we owe our heritage.

This past weekend, Randy and I had the pleasure of reuniting with his cousins and their families at a reunion held in his hometown of Madison, Florida.  The first cousins alone are 16 strong.  Once you add spouses, children, and children’s children to the mix, it’s quite a group.  As the cousins arrived, you notice that physical change is inevitable, but the personality and love stays the same.

We joined together not only to celebrate, but also to support our aunt who has been diagnosed with cancer.  It reminded me of wagon trains in the old west who circle around to protect those on the inside from threats on the outside.

I began to wonder, do we really appreciate family enough?  We tend to take for granted that we can always see each other if the mood strikes us, but that’s not always the case.  We sometimes put off calling just to talk and catch up,  thinking we can always do it.  We think we can say, “I love you” on the next visit, but what if we don’t have another visit?

Through the weekend, I noticed the underlying truth that although we might be separated by distance, by jobs, by families, we are all united by the bond of love.  I’m thankful for the opportunity to circle back around to get a dose of the love that unites and bonds us.