November 25, 2014
Thanksgiving is a wonderful time for most people. It is a time of gathering of families and friends, sometimes together, sometimes just family and then friends at a slightly later time. This Thanksgiving I will be here in Michigan, far from my family and their friends but surrounded by my Paulist brothers and Michigan friends.
It is interesting to me that my brother’s family will be in three different places for Thanksgiving. My niece Andrea will be with her husband’s family, as will my niece Erin. My brother will be with his wife’s sister and husband. How quickly time changes our lives. But this Thanksgiving will be a special time for me because of my niece’s wedding, which I witnessed last weekend. The great gift of weddings is that they bring families together, and so first cousins whom I had not seen for some time were present with their stories of children, all now grown, and their various interactions with grandchildren. Of course, the bride and her new husband and his family were all present as were my brother and sister, and my sister’s daughter
and granddaughter. My sister in law’s sister and her many friends were also present many of whom I met for the first time, but all of whom were familiar because I have known their names for a long time. My brother has buddies from Boston College that have remained very close friends with him over the years. I will say, I was delighted that each of them made their way around to find me, say hello and chat.
Why would I connect a wedding to Thanksgiving? First, all the folks I just mentioned, and many more, prayed together in that sacramental encounter with the invisible God that was made present in a tangible sign by my niece and her husband making their marriage vows at St. Patrick’s Church in Stoneham, Mass. The vows were made within a Eucharistic celebration which included the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist. So, Erin and Connor were able to recognize and solemnize the deep covenant of marriage which they were entering.
The frosting on the cake of Thanksgiving was, of course, the reception held in a wonderfully decorated hall on a golf club in Georgetown, Mass. That’s where the extension of the liturgical community took place with laughter and conversation that lasted into the evening.
And why would all this be prominent in my list of things to be grateful for this year? As you probably have guessed, I am a believer in strong family ties and doing what’s necessary to maintain them. It may mean extra travel or making plans that aren’t necessarily to your liking, but you do it anyway in order to connect and be together sharing stories that only the family understands, and discovering new jewels of life that are uncovered in conversation.
I hope that your experience of family somewhat mirrors mine, and that you will be grateful to our God who makes such people and times part of our lives.