Last night as the sun set over a freshly snow-covered landscape, I watched frigid waves rhythmically slosh across the lake. Knowing more family would pile in today, I mulled over (and over and over with the ongoing leagues of white caps) our expanding family unit with its cumulative dynamics. I ended up thinking about years rolling upon years. Generations upon generations. Waves upon waves.
It seems there’s a much broader spectrum of possibility within families than most of us realize. Family loyalty can express as dutiful responsibility on one hand or sheer delight on the other – or any number of hybrid combinations of these two. Family disloyalty can pose as overt or covert neglect - anything from abusive mistreatment to more subtle rejection (being overlooked and ignored), or again, some hybrid mix.
As the waves tumbled on and on, I wondered how many people sense familial abandonment on some level – emotional if not physical? And on the other end of the spectrum, how many individuals feel deeply valued by their family members? Appreciated and favored? Upheld and supported? Cherished?
CHERISHED. That’s such a strong word. We cringe if merely tolerated, and long to be cherished – not in a presumed way, but a tangible way.
Our family continues to expand with a forthcoming new in-law and a new baby: more waves, more unity, more emerging genealogy. I feel truly blessed this Christmas season. Blessed over and over. And over. The waves of gratitude are ongoing. Waves upon waves that keep coming, just like our growing family.
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