Anyways, It's a time to be thankful, to reflect on how little grace is earned and how much given.
Life and family and friends... all that cliche stuff is forever real and. Add to those salvation, redemption, the ability to walk into tomorrow with some sort of confidence that all is right with this twisted and crazy world in spite of our human failings and foolishnesses. Throw in joy and happiness and the ability to make new relationships and, well, there's a lot to be grateful for.
Last week my family and I trekked to Gilbert, AZ, current home to Kirstie and Marc and young prophet Elijah. We've wanted to meet them since their recent relocation from the Republic of Texas. Add to the mix the fact that the Pondering Pig and the lovely Patrushka would be there and we had no choice but to make the journey.
It's funny how many years of age, thousands of miles of distance, and millions of seconds of experience can separate people and yet...
...and yet it's somehow like meeting yourself. I don't mean literally, maybe more like a reflection. It's meeting someone you can comfortably refer to as brother or sister. You know the same history and it affected you in the same sort of ways. When you can share recollections of good, bad, heartbreaking times and know them as similar experiences is a wonderful thing and that's what happened to us all the other day.
I've given up long ago the belief in fate or chance. It's more like a God ordained moment. Sometimes we just fail to recognize where those moments come from because we become so self absorbed we miss what is going on around and in spite of us. Me and the Pig and our families were destined to someday meet. Not just because of those ways we are the same but because of the ways we are different as well. We had fun and laughed a lot, those belly laughs that are for real and not just polite twitter between people thrown together for a few moments of uncomfortable relating. Nope, we sat in the kitchen for hours of story telling, swam in the pool, the kids played "Wii".
4 comments:
Couple of 'old' hippies!
Hey Leo - we had a good time too! Thanks for writing about the day! Kirstie's kitchen was packed to the brim with the multi-generational crowd eating good stuff (esp. your FABULOUS pesto)and thoroughly enjoying the event. You be good folk, you Sierra Vistans! Thanks for driving all the way to meet us!
Glad my mom alerted me to your post. I'd forgotten to check your blog after it was static for awhile. We certainly enjoyed having you guys up here. Come again soon! It's finally settling down again since the last of the crowds left today, and Elijah is wandering around wondering where everyone went...
Hey Man, Like totally. The next morning, Kirstie said to me, "You know, Dad, I've never met too many other people like you - but Leo's one!" Ain't it a relief?
And you brought along some of the best kids I've ever met.
I'm locked up with Chapter 26 of The Walrus this morning - so back to work.
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