My People

For our family, Christmas is about gathering with family.  We spend Christmas Eve with my wife's family and travel to my Mom's house on Christmas Day.  This year, a pesky snowstorm pushed our travel out a day but we still made it.  The two gatherings are different in many ways.  My wife's family is smaller and everyone lives near by.  When we get together, the conversations are generally continuations of topics discussed throughout the previous week or plans for the following week.  My family is larger, and no one lives in town with Mom.  When we get together, it's a time to catch up on each other's lives.  Things are more hectic at Mom's house.  Receiving travelers from distant places during inclimate weather necessitates a certain amount of flexibility.  We never know for certain when everyone will be there or when people need to leave.  Somehow, we manage to squeeze Christmas into that window of togetherness after the last has arrived and before the first has left.

For all their differences, the two gatherings have one important thing in common for me.  It is that sense of belonging, that these are my people.  It is such a wonderful and affirming thing to know that one has people.  No matter how stressful or crazy the world may seem, no matter how alone I may feel, I know I have these people.  My membership is not determined by what I do, or the conversations I have.  I simply belong.  It is good that we take time once in awhile to remember this.  We come together and exchange gifts but the real gift is the group itself.

I have people and I thank God for them.