This puts me in mind of treasured friendships. Kindred spirits, in Anne of Green Gables speak, may grow up next door to each other, or they may start out lives in whole other countries only to wind up with hearts knit tight as those of the best kind of sisters. One of my favourite promises is that God puts the solitary in families. He designed us to be a part of warmth and love much bigger than we can manufacture on our own. Often we have to break out of lonely comfort zones to see that happen. Sometimes we find family when we reach out to someone else who is alone.
My mother was a great one for enlarging the family boundaries. She never hesitated to say, “Join us!“ to those hovering on the fringes. Christmas and Thanksgiving were the ultimate occasions to press into service all the dining table leaves and add some version of a table on the end, all united by creamy tablecloths, lace layered over solid. And there was always plenty of both food and laughter to go around, regardless of the economy at home or at large.
There was always room for one more (or three more) at our family gatherings. As they say at Meadows Fellowship - you are only a visitor once - after that you're family.
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