My mug was just filled once more with Door County Caramel Apple Coffee and it is time to write.
Sunday showed up right on time and it has delivered to us so far a rainy foggy morning. The forecast is for more heavy rains later today. We have a "Family Dinner" planned with the remnants of those of us who still live here. We will be joined by my brother, a nephew and his sweetie today for what we hope to will become a monthly dinner. It will of course be expanded to whoever else might be in our area as they visit now and then. I am looking ahead to November when another nephew will be visiting so we can enlarge the family at the table for one weekend. This might be the best idea my brother has had in a long time.
We couldn't do this while our parents were alive, due to the distance and the many unforgiving schedules that we all had. Even Christmas was difficult to get everyone together. So what other families consider as normal to gather weekly or monthly just never happened. We are going to give it a good try and see how it works out now.
We will keep it simple today. Our theme is football and the Green Bay Packers game at noon. The dinner will be more of a tail gate atmosphere with grilled Italian Sausages and picnic type salads. We are hosting the get together. Next month it moves to my brothers home and some day I hope to take it on the road and get together in another state with relatives that can't be here. That might be a lofty goal but might be attainable.
Why am I writing this today? It is to remind us all to "Get Together" while we can. The dynamics of a family can change in a heart beat. Then the "wish we would have, we should have and the could haves" rain down on us like a storm that just won't leave. We add to our "Life Pile" of regrets.
I was speaking with a man last week who doesn't get together with friends or family anymore. He said they had a falling out over what I saw as a minor issue and no one seems to want to get over it.
Philippians 3:13-14 Brothers, I do not count myself to have attained, but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, 14. I press towards the goal to the prize of the calling of God in Christ Jesus.
My advice to all of us is for things said or done in the past is that we all learn to move on. In some instances the one who offended others has to forgive his or herself and move beyond a mistake. Others need to be willing to forgive the offender and move on. Grudges are too heavy to carry and only cause harm.
Today we will eat well and probably have a few laughs. I know I will be looking around the table and I will be missing those who can't be here this time and those who will never dine with us again. I will have plenty of "should have, could have and only if we would have" thoughts. But I can't let them rule the day, because today is here and tomorrow is never guaranteed.
So make the most of your day and be a blessing to someone.
Marty
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