The summer months are the time for family reunions as well as church homecomings. It’s also the time when those from distant places return to their homes.
The family of my father-in-law gathers for a meal and company, typically on the Saturday that is the last day of June. My mother-in-law’s clan gathers on the first Saturday of August.
Through tears and laughter, we make memories. As one by one, friends arrive, hugs are exchanged, typically with being greeted with a hug. Don’t worry about your diet when you attend a family reunion. There are tables full of desserts created by family recipes handed through generations, or church homecomings referred to in the tradition of “dinner on the floor.” Calories aren’t the only thing that counts!
Our family enjoys spending time together. There are often new branches added to the family tree that are carried by happy, loving parents and adorable grandparents. Little ones grow a few inches, and teenagers talk about their future plans after graduating. The wedding announcements are usually announced. date. In the end, however it’s time to say goodbye until the next reunion.
I have read a tale about a person whose words described the things that make coming home an unforgettable experience. A President from the United States, members of his cabinet and members of the U.S. Supreme Court and the Marine Band, along with thousands of people were present at the Memorial Service in February 1883.
Who deserves this kind of acknowledgement? You may think that this Memorial Service was held to pay tribute to a hero of the military or a famous statesman. To make the story more fascinating, the person had passed away 31 years prior and was laid to rest at the time of his burial in North Africa. It was John Howard Payne, an American actor writer, poet and playwright chosen by the president John Tyler as the American Consul in Tunis. Payne’s ashes were returned to be buried at the U.S. In the Memorial Service was held in Washington, D.C.
John Howard Payne wrote a poem in 1822 which turned into a hit song that enthralled all Americans. It was said to be a favourite song of soldiers who came from the North as well as South throughout the Civil War. The opening line of his poem performed to music composed by Henry Bishop, is still used to this day “Mid delights, palaces however we go, being ever humble, there’s nothing as home.”
One day, we will get together for the most grand family reunion ever in which our Lord and our beloved ones are welcomed into bliss of heaven. I was curious if my loved ones who died were in front of the mansions they lived in gazing down the golden streets, waiting for the arrival of family.
This reunion will last the rest of eternity. There will be no more tears. Jesus will wipe every tear that falls from our eyes. “There is no more sadness or death. There will not be crying or suffering” (Revelation 21:4). There’s a poem written by an unidentified author that I’ve read that described the most grand reunion ever.
“Think of walking onto the shore and discovering heaven, or grabbing the hold of your hand and discovering it is God’s, or inhaling fresh air and discovering it to be to be celestial or feeling energized by the idea of immortality, of navigating through a storm into a completely new ground; of awakening in a good mood and feeling happy and finding the place you belong to.”
Jan White has compiled a collection of her columnists in her book “Everyday faith for Daily Life.”
The article The post Family gatherings brings memories of home was first published in The Andalusia Star-News.
