On the end of a family vacation
On the end of a family vacation
It had been a while since we’d seen each other. Age has crept up on us. We have our differences now that the world is different. Still, there was goodness, laughter, and kindess. And, perhaps… The wonder that always occurs when family parts from one another??
The time of anticipation
Of preparation
Of travel
Of planning, savoring, recollecting
Of the knowledge
From the first night
Until the last
Where we look
In the rear view mirror
And take the turn out of the circle
Onto the highway
Be with this sadness.
Stay here for a while.
Avoid the phone.
The book.
Or whatever it is
We do to salve hard feelings.
Be present with them.
They are our Teacher
About What Matters.
About What has given us strength.
About Where we can return
When things get hard.
The comfort and sadness are twins.
We can’t live without both.
Every culture has a way of parting:
Letters
Stone markers
Prayers
Gifts
These are all reminders of
The leaving we do each day
That which we take for granted
The hug,
The kiss,
The putting away of what we used
The cleaning up.
In this gathering together, we were reminded
Of who we were
Of who we are
Of how we’ve stayed the same
Of how we’ve changed
Of what we were together
Of who we are together right now
Sometimes, being present
Right here, right now
Evokes memories,
Uncertainties,
Hopes for things yet to come,
And the bonds of connections
That have gone before
Together,
In this book called Family
We write our History,
Past,
And we have each dog-eared the corner of this page.
A Bookmark.
As much as any marker
We could possibly leave
This time together was invocationn
And elegy
For each other
For all of us together
For our pasts, presents, and futures.
Whatever you face,
Wherever you go,
If you sat around this table
Whoever and whatever you are
Human or dog
If you looked at old pictures
Or used the old cup measure
Or tasted recipes drawn from an ancient book
or pencil-scribed postcard
You are family
You are held in our tenuous Bonds
Bonds of past, present, and future
This initiation or continuance
And its stories are forever yours
We impart on you a Sacred Wish
May you live in safety
In peace
Held in gentle love
May you, in whatever journeys
Come your way,
In THAT moment,
Hold these moments
As Sacred Reminders
That You are Loved.
Held tightly
Irrevocably
In the shared, passionate love,
That has surrounded you here.
You are loved.
Return here when you doubt.