When days are set to gather back home, many details for many people require interruptions in jobs, changes in daily routines, travel plans, and extra expenses.
All this wraps up as a gift for all who are coming back home.
All the questions, communications, and calendar choices that each person works out individually is a form of giving.
Leaving the normal structure and spaces of life for a few days may be uncomfortable at times, but worth the value of time with family.
Gathering is beautiful yet not without work and sacrifice - because that’s what family does. Love brings us home together… and love sends us back out better.
When our dear ones are away from home while the family gathers, they are still with us. Roots of love hold strong until they come back home again.
Presence is a present.
I am thankful to God and those I love for their gifts of presence. And when those I love are not physically present, God’s presence is enough.
~ jlw