Many countries, including my own beloved USA, have become very mobile nations. Mobile in the sense that the biological family unit is separated. Children do not necessarily live in the same state, much less the same town as their parents. It used to be that in the same small town a newcomer could find generations of family members living together, or within a few minutes of each other. This is now the exception rather than the norm.
Today people go where the job dictates they go, or they go to a town/city that intrigues them. That is what I have done. I moved away from my hometown where my parents and Grandma live, to live all the way across the country in the state (commonwealth) that I prefer. Now, I do miss my hometown and like to talk about it, I'm proud of where I am from, but it is not where I want to live anymore. I think the Lord has me here for a reason and I am very glad because it is a great place.
People need connections. We are made to be part of a family. That is a God-given design. We are made to yearn for Him first and foremost and then to crave a family. Our biological relations used to fill that role, but now that people are not living with their family anymore that role has to be filled somehow.
More and more friends are filling the role of family. We still love our biological relations, but the people we are closest to and share daily life with are our friends. Friends become family. This was very evident on the NBC show "Friends". Monica, Chandler, Joey, Phoebe, Ross and Rachael were very much family to each other. Yeah, the biological parents and siblings had cameo appearances once in awhile, but if I define family and those people which you share daily life, fears, struggles, joys, etc. with, the 6 characters we very much family.
Friends are not the only people in this neo family unit. There are also pets. In a very real sense our pets are part of our family. We feed them, love them, take of them, play with them, talk to them. We share a lot of ourselves with our pets. It is common and normal to talk to your pets (at least I tell Queens that what I'm doing is normal!).
So, when a close friend (be it the two-legged or four-legged variety) dies or gets sick, there is just as much grief to deal with as when a biological family member goes through the same experience, because we are losing part of that new family that we have forged.
Family is complex. Our family is there for us when we celebrate and when we grieve. Our family members are the ones that know us best, but love us anyway. It is also our family that can hurt us the most, be with what the say, do (don't say and don't do) or when they die. Yet, it is also to our family (be it biological or neo) that we turn to for strength, comfort, wisdom, celebration, etc. Our family really is that group of people that we love best.
-Me-
Monday, June 22, 2009
Thursday, June 11, 2009
My 200th Post!
So, guess what!?! I survived moving, thanks to all my WONDERFUL friends! I love my new place and I envision many wonderful memories within and outside of the walls. Queens seems to be enjoying the new place as well. And she got a brand new, fancy litter box to go with the new digs. How spoiled is she!?!
Being in a new house and the excitement I have to make it my home reminds me somewhat of Christianity and how we should be always working on keeping that joy alive. I have been a Christian for so long (since I was 5) that there are times when I have to almost force myself to feel the joy and excitement of the newness of my faith. It is evident on the faces of people as they give their life over to Christ, and it should be evident in those of us that have been HIS for decades. Yet, in the day to day living we sometimes get so busy that we lose that joy, it becomes just part of us. Just like in a few weeks my apartment will be lived in and the newness of moving will have worn off. The newness and the joy of Christ should never wear off.
That could be why my great Uncle changed the words in Amazing Grace. The last verse goes (in part) "When we've been there ten thousand years bright shining as the sun..." Uncle Dewey would sing "When we've been there ten TRILLION years bright shining as the sun, we've no less days to sing God's praise than when we first begun." And he was right. We will be with the Lord for ETERNITY if we accept Him, so these few years on earth, even the most mature Christian is just a babe in the faith, compared to how we will be in Heaven. How exciting is that!?! I get to worship Christ for literally EVER!
AMEN!!!
-ME-
Being in a new house and the excitement I have to make it my home reminds me somewhat of Christianity and how we should be always working on keeping that joy alive. I have been a Christian for so long (since I was 5) that there are times when I have to almost force myself to feel the joy and excitement of the newness of my faith. It is evident on the faces of people as they give their life over to Christ, and it should be evident in those of us that have been HIS for decades. Yet, in the day to day living we sometimes get so busy that we lose that joy, it becomes just part of us. Just like in a few weeks my apartment will be lived in and the newness of moving will have worn off. The newness and the joy of Christ should never wear off.
That could be why my great Uncle changed the words in Amazing Grace. The last verse goes (in part) "When we've been there ten thousand years bright shining as the sun..." Uncle Dewey would sing "When we've been there ten TRILLION years bright shining as the sun, we've no less days to sing God's praise than when we first begun." And he was right. We will be with the Lord for ETERNITY if we accept Him, so these few years on earth, even the most mature Christian is just a babe in the faith, compared to how we will be in Heaven. How exciting is that!?! I get to worship Christ for literally EVER!
AMEN!!!
-ME-
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Am I Really Moving on Saturday???
You wouldn't know it if you looked at the condition of my townhouse, but on Saturday I'm moving out to the 'burbs, to a nicer and cheaper apartment. I currently reside in a 2 bedroom 1.5 bath townhouse and I'm moving to a 2 bedroom 1 bath apartment, but it feels more spacious and it has MORE closet space! I'm especially excited about the coat closet!
In order to move I have to pack up all the stuff in my current casa, and I have not been able to motivate myself to do that. I'm excited about the move, and I'm looking forward to the new place and all that God will do with me there. I just can't seem to get myself to pack up the current house. I know that it has to be done, but I just can't seem to do it, and I don't know why that is.
I'm normally a neat freak and a bit OCD about how my house is organized and how clean it is, and I know that un-packing will be easier if I'm well packed, and moving will be faster and less painful for all my friends if I'm organized on this end. I can think of a PLETHORA of reasons why I should spend the time to pack in a systematic way...I just don't care enough I guess to actually follow through and do it, and that is abnormal for me.
It is true that I've had a lot on my mind and things with friends, family and personally have kept me busy, but still you'd think that as excited as I am I'd already be all packed, not just starting!
I want my new place to look nice and to be a welcoming place where my friends enjoy gathering and feel comfortable just stopping by and relaxing, playing a game, having cook-outs, prayer sessions, movies or whatever the case my be. I already have the first cook-out planned for the 13th!
But none of that can happen if I don't first do what is necessary in this step, so I'm off to go pack...REALLY I AM...YEP...GOING NOW...(you might want to call and make sure I'm actually packing...)!
-ME-
In order to move I have to pack up all the stuff in my current casa, and I have not been able to motivate myself to do that. I'm excited about the move, and I'm looking forward to the new place and all that God will do with me there. I just can't seem to get myself to pack up the current house. I know that it has to be done, but I just can't seem to do it, and I don't know why that is.
I'm normally a neat freak and a bit OCD about how my house is organized and how clean it is, and I know that un-packing will be easier if I'm well packed, and moving will be faster and less painful for all my friends if I'm organized on this end. I can think of a PLETHORA of reasons why I should spend the time to pack in a systematic way...I just don't care enough I guess to actually follow through and do it, and that is abnormal for me.
It is true that I've had a lot on my mind and things with friends, family and personally have kept me busy, but still you'd think that as excited as I am I'd already be all packed, not just starting!
I want my new place to look nice and to be a welcoming place where my friends enjoy gathering and feel comfortable just stopping by and relaxing, playing a game, having cook-outs, prayer sessions, movies or whatever the case my be. I already have the first cook-out planned for the 13th!
But none of that can happen if I don't first do what is necessary in this step, so I'm off to go pack...REALLY I AM...YEP...GOING NOW...(you might want to call and make sure I'm actually packing...)!
-ME-
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